The Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Jaji Sambo, has said that the Federal Government will in no distant time make a 'Port Declaration' of the proposed Deep Sea Port in Ondo State to herald commencement of other processes at the port.
This is contained in a statement by Mr Ebenezer Adeniyan, the Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the Minister of State for Transportation, on Thursday in Akure
Sambo, who gave this indication when he received Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, at the Federal Ministry of Transportation in Abuja, commended the steps so far taken by the state government to prepare for the port declaration.
After listening to a technical presentation by consultants to the state government , the Minister said once all the prerequisites established by the extant laws were met, the FG would not hesitate to make Ondo Port Declaration, pursuant to Section 30 of the Ports Act.
“We want to see this port come to life before the end of this administration because having another deep sea port will do a lot of good to the blue economy policy of the federal government,” he said.
Addressing those who posit that there's a flurry of sea ports in the country,
Sambo added that it would be a positive thing if the deep seaport was achieved , as the presence of the Atlantic Ocean, the Rivers Niger and Benue puts the country on a better pedestal to harness, explore and export its rich minerals to other countries.
According to him, there are only two deep seaports in Nigeria, while all others are river ports, including Apapa and Tin-Can ports, adding that the development of the Deep Sea Port in Ondo is a welcome development to the country at large.
Speaking earlier, Gov. Akeredolu said the reason for the visit was to acquaint the ministry with the vision of the state government on the development of deep seaport in Ilaje area of the state in accordance with the Federal Government’s module of Public Private Partnership.
Akeredolu said the port, if achieved, would bring enormous socio economic benefits to the Federal Government, the state and the host communities, adding that Dubai Port, China Habour were among the many international partners that had signalled their interest in developing the proposed port.
Also speaking at the event, the Minister of State for Transportation, Prince Ademola Adegoroye, said the Ondo State Government had made a compelling defence for the port and therefore thanked Sambo for his support.
According to Adegoroye, Sambo is a seasoned technocrat having been ventured across board of the Nigerian Ports Authority and the National Inland Waterways and would not need the conviction of others as to the importance of the Port Ondo project.
Adegoroye therefore assured the Ondo State governor that the ministry would attach priority to the project as he himself had earlier stated that he would like to see the port come to life before the end of tenure as a minister.
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