Though it is more economical for Nigeria’s neighbouring landlocked country, Niger Republic to be transiting her imports through the Kaduna Dry Port or Kano Inland Container Terminal (ICD), the country has continued to patronise the Benin seaport which is over 1500 kilometers to Maradi, Niger’s southern Commercial hub.

This development, President of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Hon Iju Nwabunike disclosed, is costing the country loss of over 100,000TEUs (Twenty-foot equivalent unit)of container traffic annually (67,000 twenty foot containers and 18,000 forty foot containers).

He disclosed that the revenue loss to Nigeria as a result is heavy because Benin is paying huge transport cost for transporting her transit cargoes from the Cotonue Port to Maradi.

Nwabunike, who spoke in a recent interactive session with maritime journalists in Lagos tagged: ‘AMJON Monthly  Roundtable’, organised by the Association of Maritime Journalists of Nigeria, disclosed that it will be extremely cheaper for Niger to transit her cargoes from the Kaduna Dry Port (about 250 kilometers to Mardi) or Kano ICD (about 150 kilometers to Maradi); than from the Cotonue Seaport which is over 1,500 kilometers to Maradi.

Nwabunike, who is also a Director of ICNL, operators of the Kaduna Dry Port, regretted that since the Dry Port was inaugurated with much fanfare by President Muhammadu Buhari in January 2018, it has been confronted with several challenges including ineffective rail transporting system and poor state of the roads from Lagos to Kaduna.

He, however, said that the most daunting challenge is the failure of the Shipping Companies to in line with global standards, start to send cargoes directly to the Dry Port and add the cost of land transportation from Lagos to the Dry Port, in the tariff chargeable on the cargo. He expressed fears that the action of the Shipping Companies might be aimed at sabotaging the success of the Dry Port.

Meanwhile, the Kaduna Dry Port is a port of origin and port of destination with full paraphernalia of all government agencies involved in the cargo import and export processes.   

Nwabunike further warned that unless the Kaduna Dry Port is up and running effectively soonest, Nigeria would lose forever the over 100,000TEUs Niger’s transit cargoes as Benin Republic has already commenced construction of 1500 kilometers Standard Gauge rail line from Cotonue Port to Maradi, Niger Republic.

According to him, over 800 kilometers of the new Cotonue-Maradi rail line has been completed. 

“When that rail line is completed, it will reduce the cost of transportation of cargoes from Cotonue to Maradi.” He said the only advantage we have over Benin is to snatch the Niger transit cargo traffic from them is the low cost of transportation we offer to Niger Shippers. “Otherwise, they are more emotionally attached to Benin which is their fellow French speaking nation than to us.”

He added that to make the bad situation worse: “Our recent closure of our borders with them, has turned them against us. Infact they almost mobbed us during our recent visit to that country to explain to them why they should use the Kaduna Dry Port.” 

Source: https://www.newtelegraphng.com/2019/10/kaduna-dry-port-nigeria-losing-100000teus-cargo-to-benin-annually/

He expressed fears that the action of the Shipping Companies might be aimed at sabotaging the success of the Dry Port.

Lol that's a paranoid and immature worldview. There's probably alot of factors that influence their business decisions. The cost and clearing at Nigerian ports compared to Benin's is the bigger factor. Trains would help hence why both Nigeria and Benin are racing connect to Niger.

“Our recent closure of our borders with them, has turned them against us. Infact they almost mobbed us during our recent visit to that country to explain to them why they should use the Kaduna Dry Port.” 

Lol tell them you come in peace.

shey una see how foreighn languages divided us....??
very effective....even after those moroons left after decades its still effective....

benin rather be with people that speak french too at all costs....

keep the borders closed....!!

This is one of the reasons Ghana is feeling the Nigerian border closure more than our neighboring countries, Benin republic won't feel that much because of other Francophone around them and the ties they have with them.
Ghana is Anglophone and Nigeria is their biggest business partner in Africa.

Niger Republic will easily do Business with Benin Republic than Nigeria because of the Language

www.nairaland.com/attachments/10496325_africamapcountriescolonizedbybritish_gifc80ac3c59b138592c30a4c27d3df05c6

Blue3k2:


Lol that's a paranoid and immature worldview. There's probably alot of factors that influence their business decisions. The cost and clearing at Nigerian ports compared to Benin's is the bigger factor. Trains would help hence why both Nigeria and Benin are racing connect to Niger.



Lol tell them you come in peace.

you dont get it....its not even about competition,its about i dont understand you,you dont understand me....

we failed to unite africa....everybody is going their own way now....

au is a farce....

ITbomb:
Instead of them to reduce the cost of clearing, multiple taxation, unnecessary delays, theft and high tariffs to encourage shipping lines, they are accusing them of sabotage.

What a directionless government

You're right

I have nothing to say.

Wonderful

justtoodark:


you dont get it....its not even about competition,its about i dont understand you,you dont understand me....

we failed to unite africa....everybody is going their own way now....

au is a farce....

It is all about competition.
Benin Republic is an African nation so I don't see how Niger choosing them over us means Africans aren't united.

@ op, Na turn by turn Nig. LTD.

Xisnin:

It is all about competition.
Benin Republic is an African nation so I don't see how Niger choosing them over us means Africans aren't united.

Thanks.
Sometimes when you see such comments you wonder why we are so dum'b simply to defend our local oppressors who we think are stealing from the commonwealth on our behalf because of the small change that they drop for us every now & then.
Why do we like suffering so much?


www.nairaland.com/attachments/3084794_DumbPeople_jpg287f2b4d3ead2f536f99f92cbca9c590

justtoodark:
shey una see how foreighn languages divided us....??
very effective....even after those moroons left after decades its still effective....

benin rather be with people that speak french too at all costs....

keep the borders closed....!!

Are we exporting anything to other West African countries as we keep our borders closed?

All this Buhari and his theory (no practical).

Buhari should continue with it's poorly thought out policies like border closures while the government paid online influencers like the one above should continue with their lies of language been the problem, all Buhari is thinking about is how to tax out more money from the already poor and impoverished Nigerians while Benin republic is thinking of innovative ways to stay ahead of her competitors. At the rate things are going, most Nigerians would soon be forced to migrate out of this country just to survive.

Benin is cheaper

At least the Boko Haram arms won't be coming in.

Edu3Again:
At least the Boko Haram arms won't be coming in.

the border to Chad and Niger republic are partially controlled by boko haram. The Nigerian customs won't even dare step foot there, even the army there have been forced to abandon their barracks to seek shelter in super barracks. Don't deceive anybody with this your lie that the border closure is affecting Boko haram. .

Ehn ehn! 'They are more emotionally attached to Benin because they are both French speaking countries', so, they prefer to do business with Benin1500km away to Nigeria which is closer but they can smuggle terrorists and people constituting nuisance into the country? They are crazy! Nonsense and French speaking

Hhj

Instead of them to reduce the cost of clearing, multiple taxation, unnecessary delays, theft and high tariffs to encourage shipping lines, they are accusing them of sabotage.

What a directionless government

Let government strengthen the agencies that involved in manning our land borders if these agencies are uncompromising in keeping to laid down standards neighbouring countries we have to toe the line.

Doing business in Nigeria alone is a big challenge. Talk more of incorporating Nigeria in an international trade transaction like using their port in shipping from another country to yours.. By the time you've paid Customs, NDLEA, DSS charges you'll know its not worth it at all, plus a plethora of bad roads, high vandalism rates during cargo processing, the general "show me love" attitude anyone with even slightest power over you has, etc... What is wrong with establishing a good transport system from the already established ports to the borders, then if cargo becomes too much to handle, then do an inland port for processing? Our leaders rulers keep putting the cart before the horse.
I don't blame Niger at all.. If it involves Nigeria, you're better off looking for another means, that's unless it's a means to help politicians siphon more funds, then you'll be given open armed welcome.

The teaming masses are the ones to be blame for our incompetent leaders anytime everytime.

Okies

Isinweke:
Na wah o

If Kano was hoping that Niger Republic will get their goods through Kano via Lagos then the people are jokers.

this are one of the problems we are having in this country, anytime we want to do something we do it at the wrong time and in the wrong place how many containers are going there in a month if i may ask, we don't really need to waste that huge amount of money for dry pot as a poor country, first thing we suppose do is to build rail lines from Lagos to the border once they clare their container we load it on the train to the border once it reaches the border we transfer it to trucks immediately then as time goes on if there are more containers then we build dry pot

[s]

helinues:
Okies

[/s]
hehehehehehe gudu morning

What happens to the Yorubas in Benin republic and Togo.

Blood they say is thicker than water. Is like cutting them off from their brothers and sisters in Nigeria.

Yorubas here are more related to those in Benin republic and Togo than any other person here.

The question is did the government have it in mind to be clearing goods for Niger Republic from Kaduna dry port? All of a sudden we are now losing something that was never ours initially. Before the dry ports, Niger Republic complain give you say Benin Republic far for them?

nothing to say about this