Jonathan commissions Onitsha river port - FlashBack from 2012
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| President Jonathan has directed the Federal Ministry of Transport to focus more on how the nation’s river channels and creeks could be put to optimal use as part of government’s on-going bid to impact on the grass roots |
Plans have been concluded for the commissioning of Onitsha River Port Complex by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan today, August 30th, 2012 amid a push for more investments in the nation’s waterway system.
The President and other key government dignitaries will be hosted by the Honourable Minister of Transport, Senator Idris A. Umar; Anambra State Governor, Mr Peter Obi and the Managing Director/CEO of National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Arc Ahmed Yar’Adua at the commissioning ceremony.
The Onitsha river port project is also expected to boost economic and commercial activities at that Eastern flank of the country as importers have started taking advantage of the new port facility to re-consign their cargoes.
In a statement, Mr. Tayo Fadile, NIWA Deputy General Manager, Corporate Affairs, said the commissioning followed an extensive overhaul of the nation’s largest river port, complete with new and state of the art facilities, warehouses and equipment such as cranes and forklifts.
Funded by the Federal Government, the refurbishment was overseen by the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) with a view to restoring the port to its original splendour and offers new levels of operational efficiency.
The reconditioned river port complex will also serve as a massive boost and complement to the newly dredged Lower River Niger.
Before the overhaul, which was handled by Inter-Bau Construction Limited, the port had suffered years of neglect, underutilisation and disrepair. Ab initio, the Onitsha River Port was commissioned by the Shehu Shagari administration in 1983 even though it was never really completed. Soon thereafter, it slipped into a state of underutilisation and disrepair, forcing operators of ferries and other economic vessels to abandon it.
Today, with the River Niger fully dredged and the waterways well protected by NIWA patrol boats and the Marine Police, the Onitsha River Port has received a new lease of life.
In a similar development, President Jonathan has directed the Federal Ministry of Transport to focus more on how the nation’s river channels and creeks could be put to optimal use as part of government’s on-going bid to impact on the grass roots.
The Minister of Transport, Senator Idris A. Umar, disclosed this while receiving the members of the committee the Ministry inaugurated in January this year.
The Minister said that President Jonathan believed a lot more could be achieved for the country, using inland water transportation, hence the need for coordinated efforts and synergy to achieve the goal of transforming the nation’s inland water transportation sector.