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Contract to link ports to rail to be awarded soon – Jonathan

By on March 21, 2013

The Federal Government of Nigeria has stated that it would soon award contract for the linking of the nation’s ports to the rail line as a means of reducing the pressure on Port.

President Goodluck Jonathan made this known in Lagos at the opening ceremony of the NIMAREX EXPO.

According to him, arrangement for the award of the contract is almost completed as the initial work has been concluded.

Jonathan who was represented by the Minister of Transport, Sen. Idris Umar, noted that there was need to reactivate the existing line.

He explained that the contract when awarded would be completed within three months.

President Jonathan however noted that it was as a result of his desire to ensure the development of the maritime industry that he held a retreat with key stakeholders last year, adding that a committee was set up after that to put the thoughts of the meeting into a working document.

Speaking further, Jonathan added that the committee had completed its work and its finding, and its implementation has been submitted to the Economic Team, adding that action on the recommendations would soon commence.

He further pointed out that as a result of the concern of government regarding the extreme congestion at the nation’s ports, stakeholders’ meeting was held recently where certain measures were taken.

He said the need to use the Inland Container Depots (ICDs) for de-congesting the ports was canvassed.

According to him, “We recently convened a meeting of stakeholders where certain measures were taken. It was decided that there is need to actualise the act of freight forwarding in accordance with the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) Act.”

“In our continued efforts to ensure development of ICDs, a committee has been constituted with its members drawn from the Federal Ministry of Transport and the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) to address the legal status of these ICDs so that they can be properly recognised and declared as ports of origin and destination of choice by importers and exporters.”