President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Thursday, inaugurated the Funtua Inland Dry Port in Katsina State.
Represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator. George Akume, the president said the Funtua Dry Port is the third out of six across the geo-political zones completed and commissioned.
He reiterated the determination and commitment of the federal government to prioritize the completion and utilization of more dry ports in the country.
Currently, he said, the federal government is targeting the intensive rehabilitation of roads, rail lines, and waterways to facilitate smooth trade, reduce transportation costs, and enhance the ease of doing business.
He then appealed to the state government and members of the host communities to consider the investment as part of national assets and ensure its protection.
In his address, the Katsina State Governor, Dikko Umaru Radda appealed to the Federal Government to rehabilitate the rail line from Zaria to Funtua as part of efforts to ensure the full functionality of the Funtua Inland Dry Port.
The aim, he said, is to connect the Funtua Inland Dry Port to other major economic centers of Nigeria.
According to the Katsina Governor, the rail line is vital for transportation and would reduce cost and facilitate the efficient movement of goods from the dry port.
He explained that the port would benefit both the state and the wider national economy and will also reduce the level of insecurity through job creation for youths.
Governor Radda also pleaded with the federal government to expedite the development of the integrated textile and garment park that had already begun in Funtua.
He emphasized that the project would help revitalize the textile industry and also create employment opportunities, as well as attract investment, among other benefits.
Speaking further on the socio-economic importance of the dry port, Governor Radda stressed that there is need for the federal government to extend the AKK Gas pipeline project from Zaria in Kaduna State to Funtua. This, would ensure more industrial growth and boost the economy generally, he said.
Governor Radda noted that his administration has developed strategic economic plans by establishing a State Enterprise Development Agency and an Economic Council, all geared towards repositioning the state’s economy.
He urged the regulatory agencies at the port to exhibit understanding and professionalism in their work and collaborate to ensure efficient operations.
Also speaking at the commissioning, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Oyetola Adegboyega, stated that Katsina State has been ranked highly in agricultural products and in other businesses in the country, such as the largest producer of cotton and the second largest producer of sorghum, which produces 13% of Nigeria’s sugarcane, placing it in second place in Nigeria, as well as other cereals and legume crops.
“In addition to all these, the presence of several manufacturing industries in Katsina not only makes it suited but most qualified to host an inland dry port.
“Your Excellency, Mr President, you may wish to recall that the Inland Dry Port Projects were conceived as part of the Federal Government’s Ports Reform Programme, designed to, among others, decongest the seaports while also taking shipping and port services closer to importers and exporters in the hinterland.
“We are also collaborating with the Ministries of Transportation and Works to help further increase our port efficiency. For the Ministry of Transportation, we are collaborating on the intra-modal link between the seaports and the inland dry ports, while the Ministry of Works is assisting in fixing the access roads to our ports. All these efforts are aimed at improving the ease of doing business in our port.”
The financier of the inland dry port in Funtua, Alhaji Umaru Mutallab, who won the bidding for the project on a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) arrangement over 20 years ago, said the Funtua Inland Dry Port will help decongest Lagos ports as importers and exporters will not have to go to Lagos or other places to carry out their international businesses.
