A major leap into actualising the dream of establishing a seaport in Ondo State has been taken as the Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, received the Outline Business Case (OBC), which is one of the critical requirements preceding port declaration and showcases the project as a multipurpose Deep Sea Port.
At the occasion in Akure, Governor Akeredolu expressed satisfaction with the level of cooperation by his administration at establishing Port Ondo, saying that the confidence of the consulting firm on the viability of the project is a pointer to its eventual success.
The governor said the avalanche of resources the state is blessed with, its riverine communities, coupled with the fact that the state has the longest coastline in Nigeria, would make the proposed port the hub for the West Africa sub-region.
“This port is very important to me, to the people of the state, Nigeria and indeed West Africa. We are going to pursue this dream with vigour,” he said.
Describing lack of continuity and abandonment of projects by successive administrations as the greatest problem retarding the development of most states in Nigeria, Governor Akeredolu said if the vision of the Olusegun Agagu administration on establishing a seaport for Ondo State had been kept alive by the immediate past administration, Ondo State would by now become a critical player in the maritime sector.
Earlier, the Head of the Consulting Firm, OIM-FBS Consortium, Mr Ekong Etim, said the OBC is essentially a confirmation of the governor’s vision that the port is a productive business; worthy of venturing into by both the public and private ownership structure it is designed for.
“We are happy that our report confirms that the governor’s vision is viable. Its viability has been carefully assessed technically, legally, financially and economically,” the consultant said.
He added that the OBC has been submitted to the NPA for onward processing through the Federal Ministry of Transportation and will subsequently receive the attention of Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, ICRC, for the issuance of Certificate of Compliance, adding that at the Procurement stage which is the final, prospective investors would be invited to form a consortium to finance the deep seaport project.