NRC mulls rail haulage at Kaduna dry port

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) says it is ready to commence rail haulage at the Kaduna Inland Dry Port.

The Ports General Manager, Rotimi Hassan, made the disclosure during a stakeholders meeting on exports from the facility.

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Although the port is close to the NRC station with a rail line from Lagos to Kano and a connecting line that enters the ports premises, lack of locomotive and wagon has hindered the rail operations.

“The Nigerian Railway Corporation has indicated its readiness to commence rail haulage very soon after test-running the rail lines from Zaria to Jebba and Lagos to Jebba.

“With this, I assure you that the hindrances facing in-export logistics will be eliminated and northern exporters will smile and enjoy the dividend of the present government under President Muhammadu Buhari,” Rotimi said.

A pre-inspection agent, Bodam Sammy, of Anglia International Services Limited, urged exporters to study and learn the procedures required for export so that they do not fall into the hands of the wrong agent.

The Head/Trade Promotion Advisor, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Kasim Ahmed, advised exporters to seek clarification from selected government agents on export procedures.

Spokesman of the National Ginger Association of Nigeria, Gagarin Madaki, urged the port to identify banks that engage in export processes saying, “I lost N6 million because a bank staff did not do his job.”

He also said late haulage of goods was killing their business.

The Kaduna Inland Dry Ports was gazette on May 26, 2015, as a port of origin for export forwarding and port of destination for import consignments.