Nigeria’s House of Representatives is set to probe the abandonment of construction work at the Baro port in Niger State. It also urged the government to deploy technology-driven surveillance systems, such as drones and CCTV cameras, to monitor electricity transmission lines.
This followed adoption of two separate motions sponsored by Kayode Ismail and Sani Umar Bala at plenary.
The House asked the Federal Ministry of Transport to recall the contractors, CGCC Global Project Nig. Limited, to site and ensure the completion of the port within a specified time frame
It also asked the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to sensitize local communities along power lines on the importance of safeguarding public infrastructure and to encourage community participation in protecting transmission lines from vandalism.
It said the Ministry of Power and TCN should expedite the repair and restoration of the damaged transmission lines along the Shiroro-Kaduna axis to mitigate the ongoing power outages in part of the country.
In addition, the House urged the National Security Adviser (NSA), in collaboration with the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Nigerian Army, and other relevant security agencies, to immediately develop and implement a strategic security plan for safeguarding critical transmission lines across the country;
The House also directed its Committees on Power, National Security and Intelligence to interface with the Ministry of Power, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), and security agencies to ensure swift compliance and execution of protective measures for the transmission lines.
In his motion, Ismail said the Baro Inland Port in Niger State was constructed by a Chinese firm, CGCC Global Project Limited, at the cost of over $16 million and equipped with a quarry length of 150-meter, 7,000-square-meter cargo stacking yard, 3,600-square-meter transit, and the capcity to hold 5,000 twenty-foot equivalent units at once.
According to him the Port, which is a multi-billion naira project, can benefit the North-Central States and the entire country by creating jobs, lowering freight costs, reducing traffic accidents, and increasing government revenue.
He said the non-availability of accessible roads to the port is discouraging potential investors in the port as the Baro Port project was designed to enhance intermodal transportation connectivity in Nigeria similarly it is intended to reduce the pressure of big trucks on the Federal roads, poised to create huge business possibilities for Nigerians and assist with decongesting similar ports.
He expressed concern that the multi-billion naira project, inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019, is nearly abandoned and yet to commence operation five years after its inauguration, adding that in the last thirteen years the contract for the 53-kilometre Agai-Katcha-Baro road, which is considered the key route to the port, was awarded, but no fund was released to execute the project.
He said further that the $16 million port project, which was commissioned five years ago, has been abandoned and largely surrounded by weeds, saying the completion of the Port is essential for the country’s economic development, job creation, freight cost savings of over N100 billion, decongestion of Lagos port, and reduce the hardship of wasting hours to clear goods.
