President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday inaugurated the Kaduna Inland Dry Port and warned the Nigeria Customs Service and port officials against frustrating the effective use of the facilities.

Inaugurating the facilities in Kaduna, Buhari said the customs and the port officials must make the facilities work and not to frustrate business, commercial and industrial enterprises with unnecessary bureaucracy.

“It remains for Customs and Ports officials to make these facilities work and not to frustrate business, commercial and industrial enterprises with unnecessary bureaucracy and inflicting on them delays and hardships, thereby defeating the object of the whole exercise as has happened in the past.


President Buhari

“Make these facilities work this time,’’ he stressed.

According to him, the hinterland business community has waited for too long for such facility that has tremendous potentials to ease the way of doing international business for the interior based importers and exporters.

He said that the development of Inland Dry Ports was an important factor in the nation’s economic development efforts.

“As Ports of origin for exports and ports of destination for imports, the Inland Dry Ports will accelerate the implementation of our economic diversification policy.

“The concept of Inland Dry Port has gained widespread importance with the changes in international transportation as a result of the container revolution and the introduction of door-to-door delivery of cargo.

“It provides importers and exporters located within the nation’s hinterland, especially industrial and commercial outfits, access to shipping and port services without necessarily visiting the seaports.

“It also enables them to process clearance of their import cargo and take delivery of their raw materials and machinery close to their places of business.’’

President Buhari also said that the Dry Ports would provide exporters the much needed facilities to process, package, consolidate and forward their exports to their customers all over the world without having to physically be at the seaports.

According to him, this replicates the port economy in the various centres where the Dry Ports are located inland thereby generating employment and contributing to the ease of doing business.

He said in addition to the Kaduna Inland Dry Port, six other Inland Dry Ports in Ibadan, Aba, Kano, Jos, Funtua and Maiduguri, which had also been gazetted, were at various stages of completion.

He congratulated the Kaduna State Government, the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Nigerian Shippers’ Council as well as the hinterland importers and exporters on the inauguration of the facilities.

The president also commended the initiative of Nigerian Shippers’ Council towards promoting the provision of these modern transport infrastructural facilities.

He, however, urged the Concessionaires of the other six Dry Ports to emulate the Concessionaires of the Kaduna Dry Port by accelerating work on theirs so as to ensure speedy completion of the projects.

He said that with the full complement of the seven Dry Ports, congestion at the seaport and traffic gridlock in the port complex would be eliminated.

“Consequently, the cost of transportation and cost of doing business will be reduced,’’ he said. He lauded the efforts of the Kaduna state government for facilitating the establishment of Kaduna Inland Dry Port.

According to him, the provision of access roads and other utilities to the Dry Port by Kaduna State Government is worthy of emulation by the other Dry Ports host State Governments.

He urged relevant stakeholders across the public and private sectors, particularly Nigeria Customs Service, Nigerian Ports Authority, Nigerian Railway Corporation, Shipping Companies and Agencies, Seaport Terminal Operators, Clearing and Forwarding Agents, Road Haulers and importers and exporters to utilize the facility optimally.

ojesymsym:
TINAPA comes to mind

DieBuhari:
The animal is already looking for someone to blame as usual. This time......Customs! When will he ever accept responsibility, roll up his sleeves and make things work?

SalamRushdie:
Just 2 dry port for the south ..hmmmmm

DieBuhari:
The animal is already looking for someone to blame as usual.

This time......Customs!

When will he ever accept responsibility, roll up his sleeves and make things work?

What an abysmal mistake of a so called leader

SalamRushdie:
Just 2 dry port for the south ..hmmmmm

sarrki:


Baba don't let us politicized everything. We have waterways in the south. We also have proximity to the sea and oceans in the south.

He said that the development of Inland Dry Ports was an important factor in the nation’s economic development efforts. 

“As Ports of origin for exports and ports of destination for imports, the Inland Dry Ports will accelerate the implementation of our economic diversification policy.

igbodefender:
Solid achievement by Buhari 2019.

Lalasticlala see this Frontpage material.

Happy New Year, Blue3k Nairaland's current economist of the year.

Blue3k:


I disagree with your sentiment considering the objectives of both project are radically different. The only thing necessary to make any Dry Inland port viable is train service that connects location to seaport abd or river access to facilitate trade. Tinapa suffered since it had neither, regulatory issues with customs, infrastructure issues like roads, incomplete facilities (at start) etc.

Kaduna case is a bit different since the rail is there, the roads have been built and the regulations are clear. Im sure the rest of states can easily do same their. It's up to federal government to add infrastructure on their parts.




What are u ranting about. Who else is Buhari supposed to task other than the Customs agents directly under his control. I don't see how talking customs can be considered deflecting seeing as their failure is his failure.

ojesymsym:
TINAPA is a free trade zone right ?
My info about it are hazy.

SalamRushdie:
Just 2 dry port for the south ..hmmmmm

madridguy:
Sai Baba

Daviddson:
Politics of who you know. Kaduna has been enjoying some very good things since Buhari came on board. I know the plan to build these dry ports predated this administration, but why should Kaduna's be the first to be completed? Why not Funtua or Ibadan or Aba? Why should the Kaduna railway also be the first to be completed if not because of Elrufai's closeness to Buhari. I know Amaechi is in charge, but these observations shouldn't be discarded just like that. I mean no harm.