Shippers’ council flays rail tracks vandalism, sets targets for Funtua Inland Dry Port

The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) says it is worried over acts of vandalism and theft of railway tracks connecting the nation’s inland ports.

The executive secretary of the council, Barr. Pius Akutah, while inspecting the Funtua Inland Dry Port, Katsina, ahead of its inauguration, said incessant cases of stealing national assets along Lagos-Kaduna, Kaduna-Zaria, Zaria-Funtua and Kano have frustrated plans to commence train transportation of cargo from the nation’s port to the hinterland.

Although the Funtua Inland Dry Port has commenced informal commercial conveyance of freight through heavy trucks on the road, the use of a train system is considered pivotal to cost-effectiveness, less risk and overall management of dry ports. 

Akutah said that the federal government is assiduously harnessing energy to overcome the challenges and ensure that the railway system is connected to the inland dry ports, calling for an end to needless obstruction of government investment. 

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The executive secretary appealed to the Katsina State government and people around the railway line to take ownership of the critical national assets and protect the entire facility.

While applauding the efforts of Funtua Inland Dry Port concessionaires on the project, the NSC boss called on the management to intensify efforts at the completion of the facility to meet the target set for commissioning. 

Akutah, alongside the management team of the council and Professor Busayo Akinlade, Technical Adviser to the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, were conducted round the facility, however, listed some lapses that should be urgently fixed. 

“The development of inland dry ports across the country was an initiative of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council to bring import and export shipping into the hinterland thereby decongesting the seaports and advancing economic activities in the dry port. 

“From what we have seen, the management of the dry port has done well because we know the project is capital intensive but we have also observed areas that needed to be improved on. For instance, you need to improve on the general clean up, furnishing of the offices, planting of flowers and recruitment of staff,” Akutah stated. 

The Managing Director, Funtua Inland Dry Port, Ahmad Ibrahim Dodo, said the management has invested huge resources to officially kick-start operations at the facility which is said to be 95 per cent ready for commissioning. 

Dodo gave assurance on fixing all the recommendations and getting the port ready for commissioning before the end of January. 

The Funtua Inland Dry Port has already been accredited as a port of origin and destination, and scheduled for official flag-off by President Bola Tinubu by the first quarter of 2024.