The Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum has said that the inland dry port that willl soon be established in the State capital, Maiduguri will be ready in six months.
Speaking on Wednesday to newsmen in Lagos when he paid the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) a courtesy visit, Governor Babagana Zulum said that the inland dry port will take away many young people off the street by providing employment opportunities to many.
According to Zulum, “I want to asure you of the speedily process of establishing a Inland dry port port in Maiduguri.
“Establishing the inland dry port in Maiduguri will bring a lot of opportunities to the government and people of Borno state. It will create employment generation, which will take away thousands of young children off the street. This is very important.
“Borno State shares border with three countries namely Niger, Chad and Cameroon. The inland dry port will enhance trans-border trade. This is what we are looking for. The relationship between our border countries will be enhanced and the economy of the nation will grow very well and our GDP will increase.
“We are trying to divert our attention from mono-economy, which is oil by investing in other opportunities. I think Nigeria will be great soon.
“The Federal Government is working to ensure rail lines are rehabilitated under the President Bola Tinubu’s initiatives They are in the process of rehabilitating all the roads and thousands of trucks are entering into Maiduguri on a daily basis.
“The establishment of a good road system will fasts track the process. Even in the absence of rail, the efficient and effectiveness of road transportation system is okay for now for the inland dry port.
“We expect the project to be ready in six months.”
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary, NSC, Pius Akutah said that the establishment of an inland dry port in Borno will boost Nigeria’s trade with Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
In the words of the NSC CEO, “Like the Governor has said, it is important for Borno State as a border town to these three countries, to have an Inland Dry Port. The benefits that will accompany such cannot be overemphasised.
“With the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) in place, you cannot overemphasize the need to have this kind of critical infrastructure in a place like Maiduguri, Borno State that has boundary with three countries within the area.
“I have been to Borno and I have seen the consistency of his Excellency in terms of his words and his passion for development of Bor o State.
“When he said six months, I believe him and I know the work will be done. For instance, the transit park area the Excellency has developed has one of the critical infrastructure to even service the proposed IDP.
“Now, what needs to be done is for those involved to look at the political will of His Excellency to see how they can quickly agree among themselves for the project to become a reality
“This is business and the initiative is not for government to drive the day to day running of the inland dry port. It is a public private dimension and therefore, private sector driven. So the two entities involved should come together and fast track the process of harmosing and agreeing among themselves.”
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