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From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating the challenges and prospects of the Baro River Port, in Niger State, has said that the parliament is committed to ensuring that the port functions optimally.
The chairman of the Committee, Saidu Musa Abdullahi, stated this at a session with the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, and other stakeholders. Abdullahi explained that the role of the panel is to ensure that the port is fully operational.
The lawmaker, who noted that the port, if fully operational, will add value to national trade, regional connectivity, and economic diversification as “immense and non-negotiable,” said the panel would hold a national stakeholders’ forum to build consensus and mobilise political, technical, and financial backing for the project.
Oyetola, while addressing the lawmakers, assured that the Federal Government is working assiduously to address the existing challenges militating against the Port and unlock its full economic potential.
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According to him, “Although commissioned in 2019 under the past administration, the port has faced operational constraints — chief among them, the absence of critical linkages to road and rail infrastructure, and navigability challenges along the River Niger.
“The challenges are there, no doubt about it. When the issue of the port was being conceived, ordinarily, one would have expected that the infrastructure that would make it operational should have been provided.
“The ministry was created barely two years ago, so we inherited it from the previous administration. And part of what we’re trying to do is to ensure the need to do a lot of dredging. Unfortunately, we are hampered by the scarcity of funds”.
The Minister explained that the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) plans to dredge up to 2,000 kilometres of inland waterways, a move that will ensure Baro Port maintains the appropriate depth for year-round operations.
“Our Ministry remains unwavering in its determination to transform Baro from a dormant facility into a thriving inland gateway. We are working closely with the Federal Ministries of Works and Transportation to deliver an integrated framework that combines infrastructure, operational efficiency, and private sector participation,” he stated.
