Ibadan Inland Dry Port Gain Impetus, As Oyo State Government Invests 15% Equity
Honorable Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi (left) receiving a survenir from Seyi Makinde, Governor, Oyo State when Amaechi led top Ministry officials and Shippers Council staff on inspection of the Ibadan IDP in Ibadan, Oyo State
…Gov. Makinde, Amaechi Strategies on early completion
By DAPO OLAWUNI
The Ibadan Inland Dry Port (IDP) project, located at Olorisha-Oko in Ibadan Oyo State has gained impetus as the Oyo State Government has decided to invest 15percent equity in the project.
Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde declared this on Friday when the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi led a delegation including officials of his Ministry and the Nigerian Shippers Council to Government House, Agodi, Ibadan, even as he declared his support towards early completion of the IDP project.
Speaking at the visit, Transport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi had lamented the delays in take-off of the project due to encumbrances from the State Government. Amaechi said the Stste government requesting that the infrastructures that would be build by her should be converted into equity.
“There are issues, and I wonder why these issues still exist, this is the second time I am visiting this house over this IDP, the former Governor gave us a Certificate of Occupancy, now I am hearing that the present government is giving us problems, they are denying us entry into the place”
“I hear there are issues of border, although 90 hectares of land was given to us and captured, but now, only forty has been granted to us free from all encumbrances, we have complained severally because the preferred bidder needs to do a construction design, they have not been able to do anything because they only have access to 40 hectares of land, we need Oyo State to give us access without encumbrances” he said
At the end of a tour of the IDP facility and the Moniya Terminal of the Lagos-Ibadan rail line, the State Governor, Seyi Makinde promised to further reinforce the synergy between the state government and the Federal government over the project.
Makinde also said that the state government was already planning on constructing an industrial park around the site of the IDP project.
“We felt that irrespective of who is in government at the moment, it is better for the state government to have a skin in the game, so Oyo State is pushing to have 15% equity in the dry port and industrial park, we believe that this would help the project in the future”
“Most of the challenges mentioned, there is none that cannot be resolved.
We have completely reconstructed the Moniya to Iseyin Road and it costs this government N10billion”
‘The link road between the IDP and Moniya already exists, but for us, the whole area the inland dry port, the rail terminal should be a new business district, so we are thinking of a very solid infrastructure that could enable us handle the challenges coming from Apapa very well”
If it is not going to fit into the plan of the inland dry port, we can always look at other areas to execute the same plan”
“We believe that we having equity is better for the project because, further down the line, if there are challenges, you can have it quickly resolved because of the government participation”
“You have my commitment and the state government that we would do everything to make this project come to reality and the contractors to move to site as quickly as possible” he assured the minister.
On his part, the transportation minister, Rotimi Amaechi said the Federal Government is grateful that Oyo State has decided to invest in the IDP project.
He said it was the intention of the government to start the project and complete it before the end of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
“We should be grateful that the Oyo State Government is ready to invest because the Federal Government has instructed us that there must be Nigerian investors in that project, we dont want to give the Chinese alone, at the end of the day, there would be profit and Nigerians should be able to make profits out of it”
“Thank God the Oyo State has decided to take some percentage, we would discuss with the Chinese and ICRC, and we are calling on more private investors to get involved”
Amaechi informed the governor that President Buhari would be commissioning the Moniya Terminal of the Lagos-Ibadan rail line by June 2021.
Advising the governor, he said “If you don’t want pressure in your city and the Apapa gridrock to be transfered here, you have to start preparing now because in June, the President would commission Lagos Ibadan rail line, and if this is done, it is our intention to begin to move cargoes on that rail line”
“Cargoes going to Port Harcourt, Kano may end up in Ibadan. There are benefits, accommodation, businesses and other economic activities would take place just like we have them in Lagos”
“It is good you construct that link road between Moniya to Ibadan Oyo Road”
