Years after the approval and commencement of the Dry Inland
Ports across the country, most of them are yet to operate
optimally.
The ports, LEADERSHIP Weekend findings reveal, lay waste in
states and communities where billions of naira has been expended
to provide facilities that are meant to aid exp orts.
Investigations show that in many of these communities, the youth
who were promised thousands of jobs still have their hopes high
that these jobs will materialise.
State governments in Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, Borno, Plateau and
Oyo made thousands of hectres of land available to the federal
government but poor planning and a lack of coordination between
the ministry of transport, successive state governments and
relevant agencies have made the ports inoperable.
The federal executive council had granted approval for the
establishment of the Inland Dry Ports in March 2006 at six locations
across the country namely Isiala- Ngwa- Abia State; Erunmu Ibadan
– Oyo State; Heipang Jos – Plateau State; Funtua- Katsina State;
Maiduguri – Borno State and Dala, Kano State.
However, Kaduna Inland Dry Port Limited, which was not originally
part of the six approved in 2006, was commissioned by the federal
government in 2018 as the first port of origin for export and port of
destination for import for hinterland and landlocked neighbouring
countries with no sea ports like Niger Republic, Chad, among
others.

The Kaduna Dry Inland Port has been offering skeletal operations as
non-completion of rail lines project to link the port is affecting the
mass movement of containers from the seaports to the dry land,
investigations revealed.
Our correspondent who visited Kaduna Inland Dry Port located in
Kakuri near Railway Station reports that only a few long trucks load
goods from seaports and off load to the dry port per day.
An official of the Kaduna Inland Dry Port who did not want his
name mentioned explained: “In a day, only ten or fifteen trucks load
from seaports in Lagos and bring goods in this port for onward
movement to far northern states. We are not operating fully as it is
supposed to be.”
In a telephone interview with LEADERSHIP Weekend, the general
manager of Kaduna Inland Dry Port, Rotimi Raimi-Hassan,
lamented the lack of rail lines linking the dry port, saying it is the
major challenge facing the dry inland port operations.
The general manager identified other major challenges confronting
the Kaduna dry inland port. He said, “Since we launched the Kaduna
Dry Inland Port, we have been working perfectly well. Having said
that, we have challenges like customs, railway among others we are
facing.
“On the issue of customs there is no customs template for ICDs to
operate and government should look into it. On the railway issue,
inland dry ports cannot work effectively without rail lines connecting
to them.”
Raimi-Hasaan said, “A dry port must have rail access from the
seaport to dry port so that the transportation of moving goods from
seaports to dry ports will be cheaper. There should be political will
to back up dry port operations in the country.
“We have about 600 direct and indirect staff and workers working
in our port. We have from 300 to 350 containers of goods from
seaports every month to our port here. We welcome the new
administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and we appeal to
him to look into inland dry ports challenges to reposition it.”
The immediate past governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-
Rufai had in 2017 during the final inspection of the Kaduna Inland
Dry Port before the commissioning said the facility will boost the
country’s export capacity by over $50billion annually.
The port has the capacity to handle 29,000 tonnes of cargoes yearly
and is estimated to generate about 5000 employment opportunities
The general manager of the Dry Port had earlier said the port
stands out as most suitable for international trade facilitation in the
North.
He said aside from being the first dry port in Nigeria, Kaduna Port
stands out as the best in West Africa, with staff strength of persons
having over three decades of maritime experience, matching
knowledge with latest technology.
According to him, the port is a solution provider that has blazed the
trail for other dry ports in the country.
In Plateau State, 17 years after the inauguration of the Jos Inland
Container Depot (JICD), Heipang, in Barki Ladi local government
area by former head of state, Gen Yakubu Gowon (rtd), the project
is yet to commence operation in the state.
Duncan Container Dry Port Limited, the concessionaire, was given a
presidential approval for the construction of Jos Inland Dry Port in
2006.
The JICD covers over 33.9 hectare of land provided for the JICD
from 100 hectares acquired by the state government. When
completed, it will create over 5000 jobs.
The Jos Inland container depot, JICD, suffered a great setback in
2014 when the site was demolished by former Governor Jonah
Jang’s administration in August 2014 before Duncan Maritime
International commenced work again.
In 2021, Plateau State government, under the leadership of
immediate past governor, Simon Lalong, took over ownership of the
Jos Inland Container Depot (ICD) from Duncan Maritime Ventures
Nig. Ltd.
The memorandum of agreement signifying the change in ownership
was signed between the Plateau State government and Chief
Godfrey Bawa, managing director of Duncan Ventures, at a cost of
N2.2 billion based on its economic benefits.
Speaking to our correspondent, Heipang youth leader, Chuwang
Davou, said the presence of the depot will bring food to their
tables, as a lot of youths will be engaged in the value chain.
According to him, their landlords too will benefit, as most of the
houses will be rented out for people coming to do business in
Heipang and its surrounding communities.
He pointed out that the value of their lands will appreciate and it
will open up their villages to international communities and Heipang
will be a hub where stakeholders in dry port business will converge.
Davou appealed to the state governor, Caleb Mutfwang, to engage
a qualified concessionaire with a view to completing the project
because of the economic benefits to the people of North Central
zone.
Similarly, the federal government in February 2023 declared Funtua
Inland Dry Port in Kastina State as a port of origin and final
destination for import and export of cargoes.
The port has not been in operation since its declaration as a port of
origin and final destination for the import and export of cargoes in
February this year by the then minister of Transportation, Mu’azu
Jaji Sambo.
But a fact check by this paper on the facility revealed that it is lying
dormant and is only used by some people to store their goods for
some time, as efforts to reach director of the Port failed.
The Funtua Dry Port was first established in March 2006 by the
Federal Executive Council as container freight station and was later
converted to an inland dry port and that this critical transport
infrastructure is based on the strategic framework of build, owning,
operating and transferring (BOOT).
The state permanent secretary in the ministry of Commerce, Musa
Sule, had recently said the state, as part of its contribution to the
project, facilitated 16.2 hectares of land and also paid
compensation to the land owners.
He explained that the step was taken based on the conviction that
when fully operational, the port will create employment for the
immediate community and its environs, support the revenue base
of the state and facilitate trade within and outside the country.
Also, in August 2022, the federal government declared Dala Inland
Dry Port, Kano, as port of origin for export of goods and final
destination for goods brought into the country via the nation’s
seaports.
The then minister of Transportation, Engr. Mu’azu Jaji Sambo, while
making the declaration in Kano on behalf of the federal
government, disclosed that the project was part of federal
government’s reform programme to promote efficient
transportation, decongest the seaports and bring shipping and ports
services closer to importers and exporters.
Sambo said, “In today’s new global economy, speed to the markets
with finished goods and lower shipping costs are the main drivers
more than ever before. The Dala IDP will facilitate this and more.”
On why the project was located in Kano, he said, “The importance
of Kano State as the commercial capital of northern Nigeria with
huge agricultural trade and export volume is well documented.
“The State has a sizeable number of textile and agro-allied
industries, assembly plants amongst others and several
manufacturing industries. It is not only suited but most qualified”.
He equally called on shipping companies, maritime practitioners,
land-locked countries like Chad, Niger and other port users to take
full advantage of the Dala IDP for import and export of their
cargoes.
But part of challenges hampering the full use of the dry ports is the
lack of connection to rail systems.
On linking the railway to the Port, the managing director, Nigeria
Railway Corporation (NRC), Engr Fidet Okhiria, said, “The Board of
NRC has approved track access to anybody or company wishing to
provide the infrastructure, that is the rolling stock to operate on the
track which i hope Dala Inland Dry Port will tap in so that they can
maximise the essence of having rail track into their premises”.
Also, the general manager of the Kaduna Dry Inland Port harped on
the need for incentives to be given to shippers to bring cargo to
Kaduna instead of taking it to Lagos and other seaports in the
south.
He said, “Since 2018, we have not been able to commence full dry
ports. Kaduna is the first full dry port, and others are still coming.
There should be a process by which dry inland ports should
operate. We need at least five locomotives and 100 wagons for us
to operate.
“The shipping companies should encourage shipping activities to
thrive by sending their services to commence documentation
processes for cargo destined for Kaduna Inland dry port by issuing
true bill of lading.
The essence of the dry port is to decongest the ports and bring
shipping services to the internal shippers, this has not been done.
“Most of our customers in the north, particularly in Kaduna and
Kano, do ask the shipping lines that their cargos should be destined
to Kaduna, but the shipping companies said the recognised ports
are Apapa Port and Port Harcourt and they don’t recognise the dry
inland port.”

https://leadership.ng/billion-naira-dry-ports-lay-waste-in-kano-kaduna-plateau-katsina/

mynd44 oam4j lalasticlala seun nlfpmod

Recommendable observations

ManirBK:
ok

What is okay in the News?

Too long, no proper spacing.

Kindly translate to Hausa please. I can't read this in English.

Op, you can do better by properly arranging this post.
I can't come and kee myself

Experts made it clear that Aba is the most viable inland dry port but clueless FG is busy wasting money on unviable places.

Wetin concern Mallam with port?

Come to Lagos, port Harcourt and Calabar na Aboki full Port office still yet their homeland dry port is not functional.

geesilver:
Come to Lagos, port Harcourt and Calabar na Aboki full Port office still yet their homeland dry port is not functional.

Southerners are conquered folks. That’s why I get annoyed when I hear them talking about submission. Imagine conquered fools telling you to submit to them as a woman. Na slap them dey eat for my hand to reconfigure their brains back to factory settings.

BloomingDale:


Southerners are conquered folks. That’s why I get annoyed when I hear them talking about submission. Imagine conquered fools telling you to submit to them as a woman. Na slap them dey eat to reconfigure their brains back to factory settings.

That story is what this present government is trying to change, you can't have them in all our government settings to the level of like 1-5 in higher position is from a region. Who does that

geesilver:

That story is what this present government is trying to change, you can't have them in all our government settings to the level of like 1-5 in higher position is from a region. Who does that

So suddenly it's no longer Igbos hate the North?

Dey play. Use am for IDP people

basilo101:

So suddenly it's no longer Igbos hate the North?

Two different issues. Am talking about how these people practice nepotism even to the detriment of the country.

Meanwhile if we hear about the billions expended on this wasteful dry ports your ear will surely tingle.

The bigoted administration of Buhari wasted money building a dry port in Kaduna even when Kaduna was never part of the initial plan. Other dry ports where also built in the North while the ones in the South were abandoned. Now see how the dry ports in the North have turned out to be a collosal waste of money. A dry port in Aba would have been very viable but the federal government did not bother building any there despite Aba dry port being part of the initial project. That was the same way they abandoned the rail project in the east but preferred to build the one that will link to Niger.

They are waiting for Igbos nah

basilo101:
Experts made it clear that Aba is the most viable inland dry port but clueless FG is busy wasting money on unviable places.

Aba has no free trade zone
Onitsha nnewi has no free trade zone

Nigeria sit project based on emotions not economic viability

It's sad

Dubious Agberos saw crude oil money from south-south to waste.

This are the type of project they want to use funds recovered form subsidy for.

Yet we are all suffering the loan repayment that's in form of subsidy removal. Buhari did serious damage. We need a deliverer to undo what Buhari's deeds.

This your copy and paste na wa

What about the oil exploration in lake chad they are helping ISWAP/BH build ? Another wasteful projects.
I could remember when buhari entered the presidency, na body body language we dey hear until it turned to body odour.
Make tinubu renewed hope don't turn to renewed ségé o. Make God help him build a strong country we all dream of.
@op why are you lazy to do proper typesetting? Which Kain cut and join is this?

Copy copy no dey pass

BloomingDale:


Southerners are conquered folks. That’s why I get annoyed when I hear them talking about submission. Imagine conquered fools telling you to submit to them as a woman. Na slap them dey eat for my hand to reconfigure their brains back to factory settings.

Na slap them dey eat for your hand?🤣🤣🤣

Since u love Northern men so much, let's find u a tall Fulani or Gere man with 13 inches long koboko with a big cap and hard balls laced with a very potent burantashi to satisfy and dig u into submission. 😂😂