Buhari to inaugurate to Baro river port in Niger

President, Mohammadu Buhari, is expected to inaugurate the newly completed Baro River Port in Niger State on Saturday.

A statement by the General Manager, Corporate Affairs of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Tayo Fadile, and made available to newsmen in Lokoja, Kogi State, said Baro river port is one of the river ports built to support the dredging of Lower River Niger project.

The Baro River Port was built by Chinese firm (CGCC Global Project Nigeria Limited) at a cost of N6b, equipped with a Mobile Harbour Crane, Transit shed, administrative block, fire hydrant system, water treatment plant, Reach Stacker, 100KVA power generating set, and three forklifts of various tonnages.

Fadile said Onitsha river port has already been rehabilitated while Oguta and Lokoja River Ports are nearing completion.

The statement read: “The Baro river port is expected to create at least two thousand direct jobs and hundreds of thousands indirect jobs.

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“It will help keep off the road several heavy duty trailers and trucks, thereby extending the life span of our roads.

“In the past, during the colonial era, Baro use to have a thriving River Port and a railway line which were used for evacuation of farm produce and mineral resources, it was a trading point between Nigeria and neighbouring countries through the Inland Waterways transportation mode.

“Here is hope that the old Rail lines used in the colonial days will be revived and the road network linking the port is already being upgraded.”