The Nigerian Shippers Council has reopened its area office in Minna, the Niger State capital, for proper coordination of economic activities in the state, three years after it was shut.
The executive secretary of the council, Emmanuel Jime, said the Minna Area Office was reopened to open up many economic opportunities, especially with the coming of the Baro Inland Port.
He said the Minna Area Office was shut in March 2020 in compliance with the directive of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, mandating its agencies to reduce overhead costs.
“Nevertheless, having carefully considered the economic viability and potentials of Niger State and its environs, particularly with the growing clusters of export processing companies in the zone, the council re-considered the need for the resumption of its activities and services in the state.
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“This is to ensure accessibility to quality shipping services and provision of trade-related information to stakeholders in Niger State as we also look forward to the commencement of operations at the Baro Port.
“The reason for the re-opening of the Minna Area Office was informed by the economic potentials of the state and the presence of active shippers within Niger State and its environs.
“The state is well known for the abundance of cash crops with high exportable values such as cashew nut, shea butter, ginger, yams etc.
“Also, mineral resources like coal, iron ore, tin, uranium, gold, gypsum, salt, and silver are found in commercial quantities in the state,” he said.
Jime said the Minna Area Office was first commissioned in 1999 and was attending to the needs and aspirations of stakeholders in Niger and some parts of the FCT before it was shut down.
Jime said while some of the resources in the state were being exported, others have remained untapped, noting that the presence of the Shippers Council Area Office in the state would encourage more exportation and increase foreign exchange earnings and improve the balance of trade.
The executive secretary enjoined all industry stakeholders within Niger and its environs to ensure optimal utilisation of the office’s services to benefit maximally in the course of their shipping and logistics businesses.
Stakeholders said the reopening would open up more economic activities and create jobs that would facilitate poverty eradication in the state.
They called on the federal government to make Baro Port a reality to boost economic activities in the state and Northern Nigeria as a whole.
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