Baro Inland water port is located at Baro, Agaie Local Government, Niger South Senatorial District, Niger State.
It became of paramount importance to successive Nigerian Governments to develop the port but all the efforts put in place since 1980s have proved abortive.
Late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua awarded the contract for dredging Baro port and expansion of river bank worth billions of Naira. The project was slow due to the nature of the then Government.
After the death of President Yar’adua, President Jonathan directed the Ministry of Finance to transfer N19 billion intervention funds for the dredging of the lower River Niger to the Ministry of the Niger Delta for shoreline protection and land reclamation. He also directed that the contract should be executed in four weeks.
The meeting, which was attended by governors from the Niger Delta states, also resolved that the most urgent requirements are land reclamation and shoreline protection, instead of dredging of the lower River Niger.
That was how the Baro Port project died naturally then.
When President Muhammadu Buhari came to power he promised to uplift Nigeria through economic revival. And we are seeing some signs that the economy is getting recognition. Baro Port should be seriously recognized and completed.
Several times, PMB did say he will make sure all the abandoned projects are completed and Baro port is one of great and vital projects to be completed in order to help government achieve it economic aims.
If Baro inland water port is completed it will create over two million jobs to the teeming youths. It will help with the decongestion of Lagos ports. Northern Nigeria is land-locked with no single sea port, however if Baro port is actualized transportation hiccups would be drastically reduced.
Revenue will increase and millions dollars in foreign exchange will also be saved. Even the agricultural revolution will get a massive boost.
Nuhu Mohammed, Abuja
