Ibadan Inland Dry Port Will Ease Lagos Ports Gridlock, Assures Bello
*Project to cost N35.9bn
* Amaechi tasks Oyo on new adjoining roads around dry port to guard against gridlock
The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Mr Hassan Bello, Tuesday assured that the Apapa –Tin Can gridlock will ease with the proposed Ibadan Inland Dry Port (IDP) project .,
Bello who spoke during the handing over of the document for the 90 hectares of land approved for the project by the Oyo State Government to the Transport Minister, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, said the project will cost $99,665,626 (N35.9bn).
According to the NSC boss the dry port will be equipped by state of the art facilities, including modern trucks parking spaces.
Amaechi had on the occasion said that the containers for the dry port located Olorisa-Oko village in Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State will be through rail, adding that this will ease the burden of traffic.
He who commended the state government for making the land available also advised the state government to open up adjoining road around the IDP environment to check traffic congestion .
He said, “There are two things that I see the Oyo State government is not preparing for. You should call the attention of your successor to those two things and I will name them for you. The moment we complete that track and commercial activities start, I suspect that Apapa gridlock will ease off and if we are not careful, Ibadan gridlock will start and until we are able to do Ibadan to Kano, there are chances that the gridlock will transfer to Ibadan.
“I want to make a quick suggestion. At the point where you have the IDP, there is a road close to the expressway, but not tarred. So if you do a tarred road from there to the express, you will ease the gridlock and the earlier that is done, the better for Ibadan people.”
The Transport Minister also commended the governor for the beautiful landscape which he described as unequal pacesetting that detractors have not been able to acknowledge.
According to him, “You are concluding your second term on a very strong note of performance and unequal pacesetting. Not all governors finished this way. Most of your detractors even acknowledged the fact that you have done so much in infrastructural facilities and other areas where you have touched lives. History will judge you well.
In his response, Governor Abiola Ajimobi assured that traffic issue will be taken care of, adding that instead of gridlock, Ibadan will experience gridlock of progress and commerce.
According to him, the IDP will create jobs opportunities and other economic growth.
Ajimobi commended the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari for the rail project that will ease transportation of goods.
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