By Thompson ABISOLA
The FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello, has promised to support the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) toward the establishment of Dry Port and Truck Transit parks in the Federal Capital Territory.
Bello said this on Tuesday while receiving a delegation of Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) Board members in Abuja.
He said the management of NSC has done tremendously well in
monitoring and enforcement of rules in the port, to the service
provider which was good for the country.
He also said issues raised were already in the FCT Master
plan, which are being implemented, noting that they are
discussing with Nigeria Port Authority (NPA) concerning the port in the FCT.
Bello said he would look into the master plan and see what would
be feasible for basic infrastructure.
“We give you our full support, the Abuja Master plan actually envisage all the issues you raised and they have started implementing them;
“We have started discussing with NPA and they want to set up something that is similar to what you are doing in Lagos but in a restricted manner specific to their own core functions.
“The city was planned to be a government city, but the plan was so flexible because they anticipated that this would happen.
“We will look at your request and see what is feasible within the master plan.
”Of course all plans are not sacrosanct.
“We can also be flexible but I think that the basic infrastructure required to achieve all this, is already on ground,” he said.
The Minister said the FCT administration has planned to build a bus transportation centre, which was meant for long distance buses which has the same facilities as the Truck Transit park.
Bello, however, said he would partner with NSC to complete the project.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the NSC, Mr Hassan Bello, said Abuja is a city with so much facilities to ease movement but the future has to be considered in terms of building transport infrastructure.
“We still have to look at the future and that is where the issue of transportation comes in, we need to build infrastructure that will take care of the future needs.
“We hope Abuja wIll have its own port, without body of water. We can have port of destination and port of origin.
“ We want Abuja to have a truck transit park or a consolidation centre, where trucks will have basic operating facilities, so that truck don’t usually come into the town because of traffic.
Bello said that the government cannot build the infrastructure alone, adding that the private sector needs to be involved in the development process through Public Private Partnership (PPP).
He requested that land be allocated for the truck transit parks in places like Giri, Abaji, Gwagwalada, Area1, Katampe and Zuba express way.
