By Ummi Ismaeel,
Minna
A group of youths from Northern Nigeria, on the platform of Blue Resolution Initiative (BRI) has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of commissioning the N6 billion Baro In-land Sea Port in Niger State when it was just 40 percent completed.
The group, with membership cutting across the academia, political class and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), made the allegation at a media briefing in Minna after recent advocacy facility tour of the Baro Sea Port in Agaie Local Government Area, Niger State.
The group’s
Secretary, Alhaji Ibrahim Akib Ja’afaru, read the communiqué issued at the end of its tour of some federal government projects.
The group said that it was regrettable that 17 months after the commissioning, there was nothing to suggest the existence of Baro port except for a warehouse within the vicinity.
It, however, accused President Buhari of hurriedly commissioning the project as bait to garner votes from Niger State.
It also pointed out that even the 55km road from Agaie through Katcha to Baro was yet to be completed.
According to the groups’ Secretary, “The Baro In-land Sea Port commissioned by Mr. President in 2019 is far from reality considering what is on ground.
“Our thinking is that, it may have been used as campaign bait for the 2019 Presidential election”.
Only about eight kilometre of the single lane road had been haphazardly constructed against the expectations of Nigerians for a dual carriage road befitting for a project of that magnitude to serve sea port purpose for the entire northern states, the group said.
Taking inventory of the fun-fare that heralded the 2019 inauguration of the Baro In-land Port, the team observed with dismay that the only existing infrastructure in the port was a block of modern building which serves as both warehouse and administrative offices for supposed workers.
“Within the Baro Port itself, the only thing that catches your attention as you move close to the open space is a pink-painted building and that is the only warehouse constructed in that little vicinity with few offices for administration function.
“You can conveniently conclude that Baro in-land waterways which was commissioned by Mr. President before the 2019 Presidential election is far from serving developmental interests because of the discovery that he actually commissioned a mere warehouse and not a sea port”.
Accusing the Federal Ministry of Transport of deceit in the entire imbroglio that heralded the commissioning, the group posited. They alleged that no serious dredging of the River Niger at Baro ever took place and even if anything of such was done, “sands are back in the water ways”.
Ja’afaru told journalists at the Abdulsalam Youth Centre, Minna venue for the briefing that by its original design, Baro In-land Sea Port was never intended for any big ship and vessels but barges of low or medium economic activities hence giving credence on the level of deceits by all those behind the deal.
The communiqué also reads: “We discovered to our greatest dismay that no high international traffic will reach there. So we want the federal government to explain to us and Nigerians in general its true intentions about Baro In-land Sea Port”.