THE Federal Government has revealed that the dredging of River Benue and the development of Makurdi port will commence by 2019 as part of its efforts to harness commercial activities on the Nigerian waterways in a bid to boost the economy of the country.
Disclosing this in an interview with the media, the Acting Managing Director of National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Danladi Ibrahim stated that the development of inland waterways system in Nigeria has improved in the three years.
According to him, “from 2015, we have changed the face of Nigerian inland waterways in the sense that the Organisation has embarked on direct maintenance dredging of our channels which is a very cheap way of maintaining the waterways unlike the previous practice”.
“We have also completed one of our major port in Baro, and the one in Lokoja is over 75 per cent completed, besides that we have also put in programmes for the channel management of the River Niger and Benue.
Our expectations from the 2018 budget is that we intend to complete lokoja port”.
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Ibrahim revealed further that, “we are also going to buy batches to start moving cargoes from Lagos port to Onitsha and Baro, we are going to buy additional dredgers to enhance our capacity for in-house maintenance dredging of the channels, the ports will be completed before the end of the year, as soon as the budget implementation start, we will swing into action, Onitsha has been concessioned already, so operations will start any moment from now”.
“we will also complete Oguta port in Imo state before the end of the year, the port is 70 percent completed, so we are looking at Lokoja and Oguta ports to be completed in 2018 but in 2019 we will commence the development of Makurdi port”, adding that the ports are to be developed in phases.
He reaffirmed that many jobs will be created when the ports become operational. “When Onitsha, Lokoja and Baro ports come into operation, more than 2000 direct and indirect jobs will be created in the country.
The DG concluded that the ports will be connected with rail for efficient, effective and almost utilisation.
what stops 2nd Niger break for Christ sake!!
Sto
Election strategy
And wickedly abandon Port Harcourt and calabar ports
Why not calabar and portharcout ports,,,very nepotistic,callous and tribalized regime…
Super story part one season 2, ( after the killing of innocent poor farmers! )
that dose not stop us from voting you out of power come 2019
Don’t mind them Nigerians are more wiser so if you like do it if don’t like don’t do it we vote you out 2019
HOPELESS GOVT, WHAT HAPPENED TO WARRI,CALABER AND P/h .
One Nigeria govt,
Sea port on a dry ground ,good job APC is walking. Hmmmmm
Imported ?,so na only those states deserve port abi.
Talking trash for election stupid apc
Mamman Audu they have sea ports already before the FG short them down.
? election is coming!
Sea port abi land port
Wait till Jonathan return to presidency
Jonathan will do it when he return to presidency
Mustapha Adamu must you expose your stupidity? But the same Jonathan built almajiri schools for your hopeless people even though they don’t deserve education
This useless cacophony called zoological republic of nigeria never cease to amaze me. All the sea ports in eastern Nigeria are in a comatose state. Lootimi amechi and his sidekick dakwukwu peterside hv done nothing in dis direction. Yet dry port and all manner of ports are opening in d north. All hail fucking one nigeria
Useless people, the foolishness of easterners can’t continue, calaba port is on process why not finish it instead of talking about makurdi so that we can come a d develop that place. I can see what people are crying for.