The Federal Government of Nigeria has pleaded with core investors to explore the immense opportunities inherent in the Inland Dry Ports (IDP) and the proposed Truck Transit Parks (TTP) initiated by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC).
The truck parks and inland dry ports are the brain child of the NSC designed to be built and managed by private investors.
The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, said at a breakfast meeting organised by the Council in Lagos yesterday that the nation’s transport infrastructure possessed enormous opportunities that necessitated everyone to come together and take advantage of.
The theme of the meeting was Financing Transport Infrastructure: Inland Dry Ports and Truck Transit Parks.
The vice president, who was represented by Senior Special Adviser to the VP on Infrastructure, Kolade Sofolahan, said that the nation’s infrastructure deficit was a huge opportunity that must be tapped into.
“We have infrastructural opportunities not a problem in Nigeria. It’s a huge opportunity that everyone should come together to develop a strategy to take advantage of. It is described as crisis, problem but I see it as an opportunity. We have to think about how to grow our roads, TTP and IDP in a way that it is integrated to diversify our economy,” the VP stated.
Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, disclosed that the federal government had approved and concessioned the establishment of six Inland Container Depots across the geopolitical zones.
He also said that the FG had identified the TTPs as priority projects and provided institutional and legal framework for the establishment of TTPs by the National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan 2014-2043.
He said, “Government has approved and concessioned the establishment of six inland container depot across the geo-political zones at Erunmu, Ibadan in South West; Isiala-Ngwa, Aba in the South-East; Futua, Katsina and Zawachiki, Kano in the North-West; Heipang, Jos in North Central and Jauri, Maiduguri in North-East.
“Construction work at the recently concessioned Kaduna ICNL Inland Dry Port has been completed and awaiting commissioning for full operations.
“The inland container Depots are port of origin for exports and origin for imports and will see transportation of cargoes to the hinterland and even landlocked neighbouring countries.”
The minister said that the ICDS had been designated as consolidation centres for export of non-oil agricultural commodities and solid minerals products.
“I intend to very soon direct the Nigerian Shippers’ Council to open talks with the Nigerian Export Processing Zone Authority (NEPZA) to obtain export processing zone status for the ICDs.
“In the ICDS, there are great opportunities for investments (Added Values) including warehousing, commodity processing, packaging among others.
“With the concession of the six Inland Container Depots across the country. TTPs know variously as Rest Stops, Rest Area in other jurisdiction will be inevitable since road transportat account for over ninety percent of all freight an passenger movement in the country.”
Present at the meeting include, Private sector operators, ECOWAS Bank for Investment, NEXIM Bank, the publisher of LEADERSHIP Newspaper, Sam Nda-Isiah, Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, Kebbi State Governor, Alhaji Atiku Bagudu, Rep, Governor of Sokoto state, Prof. Bashir Garba, and Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dakuku Peterside.
Others are Corp Marsha of the Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC), Boboye Oyeyemi, Chairman, Senate Committee on Marine Transport, Senator, Ahmed Rufai, Chairman, house committee on Port, Harbour and waterways, Hon. Bart Asadu, Managing Director, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Committee (ICRC), Chidi Izuwa and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Sabiu Zakari.