By Chinonye Anyatonwu
The Honourable Minister Of Transportation, Mu’azu Jaji Sambo has commended President Muhammadu Buhari on the commissioning of the Dala Inland Dry Port, Zawachiki, Kano.
The Minister said Buhari deserves to be commended for his unwavering support of the development of critical infrastructure assets geared towards the development of the country.
Sambo also recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari recently commissioned the Lekki Deep Seaport in Lagos, adding that the commissioning of the Dala Inland Dry Port is another testament to the commitment that the President had made to Nigeria.
“Generations to come will remember the exemplary leadership you provided in this and other areas.
“The importance of Kano State as the commercial capital of Northern Nigeria with huge agricultural trade in local and export volumes is well documented. The State has a sizable number of industrial concerns across most sectors of the economy not only suited but most qualified for an Inland Dry Port.
“Your Excellency Mr President may recall that the Inland Dry Port Project was conceived as part of the Federal Government’s Ports reform programme designed to amongst others, decongest the seaports while taking shipping and port services closer to importers and exporters in the hinterland.
“Subsequently, the Federal Executive Council approved the establishment of this critical transport infrastructure at chosen locations across the country to be concessioned to private sector operators on Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) with a strategic framework to Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) model,” he said.
Sambo revealed that Dala Inland Dry Port at Zawachiki in Kano was among the six Inland Dry Ports approved and concessioned to Messrs Dala Inland Dry Port Nigeria Limited.
He said the Nigerian Shippers Council is the regulator and driver of the process and that the Ministerial Implementation Committee led by the Permanent Secretary provides strategic guidance and oversight.
Sambo said that the dry port would be a Customs port in accordance with the provisions of the Customs and Excise Management Act, Cap. C45 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and would have all the prerequisites of an international port including Customs, Immigration, Port Health Officials and Government security agencies.
He further appreciated the Executive Governor of Kano State, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje for what he described as the Governor’s bold commitment to providing an enabling environment and critical support which made the Dala Inland Dry Port a reality.
“It is in the realization of this project that I officially declared Dala Inland Dry Port (DIDP) as a Port of Origin and Final Destination on the 5th of August, 2022 towards the commencement of commercial operations.
“I wish to call on National and International maritime practitioners, Shippers, Shipping Companies, landlocked countries and port users to take full advantage of this facility for the import and export of their cargo following today’s commissioning of the dry port by Mr President,” he said.
