The Nigerian government has initiated a move to woo private investors to invest in the Inland Dry Ports (IDP) and the proposed Truck Transit Parks (TTP) initiated by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC).

The parks and ports as proposed by NSC are designed to be built and managed by private investors.

The Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, said at a breakfast meeting organised by the council in Lagos on Thursday that the nation’s transport infrastructure possessed enormous opportunities which calls everyone together and utilises the inherent advantages.

Mr. Osinbajo, who was represented by Kolade Sofolahan, his Senior Special Adviser on Infrastructure, said the nation’s infrastructure deficit was a huge opportunity that must be tapped into.

“We have infrastructural opportunities not a problem in Nigeria”, he said.

“It’s a huge opportunity that everyone should come together to develop a strategy to take advantage of. It is described as ‘crisis’, ‘problem’ but I see it as an opportunity. We have to think about how to grow our roads, TTP and IDP in a way that it is integrated to diversify our economy.”

While speaking, the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, said the federal government had approved and concessioned the establishment of six Inland Container Depots (ICDs) across the geopolitical zones.

He also said the FG had identified the TTPs as priority projects and provided institutional and legal framework for their establishment by the National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan 2014-2043.

“Government have approved and concessioned the establishment of six inland container depot across the geopolitical zones at Erunmu, Ibadan in South-west; Isiala-Ngwa, Aba in the South-east; Futua, Katsina and Zawachiki, Kano in the North-west; Heipang, Jos in North-central and Jauri, Maiduguri in North-east”, Mr. Amaechi said.

“Construction work at the recently concession Kaduna ICNL Inland Dry Port has been completed and awaiting commissioning for full operations.”

The minister said the ports have been designated as consolidation centres for export of non-oil agricultural commodities and solid minerals products.

“I intend to very soon direct the Nigerian Shippers’ Council to open talks with the Nigerian Export Processing Zone Authority (NEPZA) to obtain export processing zone status for the ICDs.

“In the ICDS, there are great opportunities for investments including warehousing, commodity processing, packaging among others.

“With the concession of the six Inland Container Depots across the country. TTPs know variously as Rest Stops, or Rest Area in other jurisdictions will be inevitable since road transportat account for over 90 per cent of all freight and passenger movement in the country”, he said.