By Foster Obi
There are indications that Federal Government has concluded plans to commence cargo delivery by rail to the Kaduna Inland Dry Port. A statement by the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) noted that the inauguration is scheduled to hold tomorrow, Tuesday, May 7, at the facility’s premises Kakuri, Kaduna State. The inauguration is expected to feature Gov. Nasir El-Rufai and Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi .
NSC’s Executive Secretary, Barrister Hassan Bello said that connecting the railway to the dry port is a defining moment for the facility. He said that the Council would also hold an interactive session with all relevant stakeholders immediately after the event titled: “Optimising the Kaduna dry port as key to Nigeria economic diversification”.
Bello noted the rail facility would lead to the full optimisation of the Kaduna inland dry port, and that it would also reduce significantly the cost of transporting containers from Lagos to Kaduna. “So much cargo is coming to Kaduna, but on trucks. It takes so much money to transport goods by trucks from Lagos to Kaduna; if it is by rail, the cost will drop by over 60 per cent,” he said.
He maintained that transporting containers by rail would eliminate the risks of diversion, goods tampering and also reduce the risks of accidents by more than 95 per cent, thus reducing the cost of insuring cargo to Kaduna as a point of entry. Bello declared that with reduced cost of transporting the goods, the cost of goods will thin down which will further curb inflation.
H explained that hundreds of trucks will be taken off the roads thus leading to longer roads life span and less accidents due to activities of truck drivers. He said that this should also reduce significantly the traffic gridlock on Apapa road in Lagos.
Pix: Hassan Bello, Executive Secretary, Nigeria Shippers Council
