- Three new Inland Container Depots (ICDs) are to be established in addition to the six that are waiting to be declared and dedicated as ports of destination and origin for cargoes by the Federal Government
- The Nigerian Shippers’ Council has resolved to establish dry ports in Osun, Anambra and Kebbi states. It was learnt that the gazette for the declaration of the ICDs as full fledge ports is before The Presidency.
- The plan to create the dry ports was based on requests by shippers from those areas through applications to the council. The ICDs, which will be sited at Onitsha, Lolo in Kebbi State and Dagbolu in Osun State will be on Public, Private Partnership (PPP) basis.
- The dry port or inland container depot is a common user facility with public authority status. It is equipped with fixed installations and offer services for handling and temporary storage of import/export laden and empty containers carried under Customs control and other agencies competent to clear goods for home use, warehousing, temporary admissions, re-export, temporary storage for onward transit and outright export.
- Trans shipment of cargo can also take place from such facilities. It is the equivalent of a seaport located in the hinterland and receives containers by rail from the seaport for examination and clearance by Customs. It has all the loading and non-loading equipment needed to handle container cargo.
- However, the Lagos Shippers’ Association has expressed fear that the dry ports may not solve the challenges of port operation in the country.
- Its president, Rev. Jonathan Nicole, said that the dry port could only function if the railway was revived. Nicole said:
“The dry ports can only function if you have the railway. If you take 10 containers to Ibadan, for instance, and the cost of doing business there is higher than using the road, if the ICD’s are more expensive, of course the importer will prefer to clear his goods in Lagos.”
Source: New Telegraph
