The Federal Government has concluded plans to start cargo delivery service by rail to the Kaduna Inland Dry Port this Tuesday May 7.
The programme scheduled to hold on Tuesday May 7th, at the facility’s premises in Kakuri, Kaduna state will have in attendance the Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam, Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai and the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi who will flag-off the service.
A statement by the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), the promoters of the dry ports across the country, said the Council will also hold an interactive session with all relevant stakeholders immediately after the event.
The statement signed by Mr. Tahir H. Idris, the Special Assistant to the Executive Secretary, NSC said the interactive session with the stakeholders has the theme “optimizing the Kaduna dry port as key to Nigeria economic diversification.”
The stakeholders’ interactive programme/clinic will witness presentations on the following topics: “Inland Dry Port development and management – key to diversification of Nigeria’s economy; The role of Nigerian Custom Service in facilitating the operations of inland dry ports; promotion of exports and Kaduna Dry Port as key to Nigeria’s economic diversification and prospects and operational challenges of Kaduna inland dry port.”
Commenting, the Executive Secretary and CEO, Nigerian Shippers Council, Bar. Hassan Bello said the commenting the railway to the dry port is a watershed to the facility.
“So much cargo is coming to Kaduna now 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 percent,” he said.
He also said transporting containers by railway will also eliminate the risks of diversion, goods tampering and also reduce the risks of accidents by over 95 percent , thus driving down the cost of insuring cargo to Kaduna as a point of entry.
