Dry ports: Shippers Council to partner FAAN on Jos ICD

THE Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) is set to open talks with the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) on the possibility of connecting the Jos Inland Container Depot (ICD) with air transport.

Speaking to newsmen in his office in Lagos recently, the Executive Secretary, NSC, Barrister Hassan Bello, explained that the Jos ICD is strategically close to the airport.

According to him, “Only a fortnight ago, the council in the company of the Honourable Minister of Transportation undertook a tour of Jos dry port where the minister stated that the basic things would be done by June this year.

“Efforts are on to link the facility to rail connection and reconstruct its roads. The Jos ICD is very suitable. It is located near the airport also, so the Minister has directed the Council to enter into discussion with the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) on the possibility of having a link between the airport and the facility.

“We are going to open up Plateau, Benue and all the adjoining states because of the agricultural produce in those places. Some people are talking about setting up an agricultural processing plant; even flour could be exported to many places. We have markets from that centre. So, what we are concentrating on is the economy.”

On the Kaduna dry port, the Shippers’ Council boss explained that the facility, which is nearing completion, will come on board in the second quarter of 2017.

Bello hinted that the concessionaires of the facility had just completed the constructions of the buildings that would accommodate the regulators such as the Nigeria Customs Service, Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Nigerian Shippers’ Council and others.

In his words, “Our dry ports in Kaduna are nearing completion. They have just completed the buildings for all the regulators, customs, NDLEA, Shippers’ Council and others. So, we are hoping that by second quarter of this year, there will be testing of operations. Containers are already being brought to the dry port in Kaduna, but we want to make it international, the advantage being that we want to reduce the cost of doing business.

“Instead of you to come to Lagos and have your containers taken by road up to Kaduna, the goods will come from Liverpool to Kaduna because your bill of Laden is going to read Liverpool/Kaduna since it is a port. So, the containers will be discharged at Lagos port, but it will be put on train or any other modes and taken to Kaduna and you go and pay your duty there. So, this will also boost the economy of Kaduna State. You will see a lot of transportation, warehousing and so many other things.”

The Executive Secretary further said that there were lots of proposals for dry ports in the South-Eastern part of the country even as he recalled that there was already a dry port in Isialangwa in Abia State, which he said would be coming on stream soon.

He said,” I am supposed to go and meet the governor because he has shown tremendous commitment on this. He has reconstituted the local committee on ICD. Now, the ICD concessionaires in Isialangwa are the most serious right now. They have a lot of money and they are going to construct very soon. Besides, there are proposals from Onitsha and Benin and some other axis in the South-South area because also, as you said, it has a sizeable cargo throughput but the South-East is also served with River Port, which is handled by the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA).