Baro River Port to Create 2000 jobs For Nigerians

ABIOLA Seun, ZION Olalekan

The N6billion Baro River ports, Niger state which is expected to be commissioned on Saturday by President Muhammadu Buhari will create about 2000 direct and indirect jobs.

The newly completed River port is in furtherance of Government’s effort towards boosting employment opportunities.

The port when operational would create a total of 2,000 direct and indirect jobs.

The Baro River Port in Niger State was awarded in 2011 at a cost of N2,563,499,248.00 by the Federal Executive Council to Messrs CGGC Global Projects Limited.

The project has been completed but abandoned and left in ruins before the current management resuscitated and turned it into use.

But, in a press statement made available to journalists by the General Manager, Corporate Affairs of NIWA, Tayo Fadile, the Chinese firm (CGCC Global Project Nigeria Limited) completed the port at total cost of N6 billion.

He also disclosed that the Baro River Port was equipped with a Mobile Harbour Crane, Transit shed, Administrative block, fire hydrant system, water treatment plant, Reach stacker, 100KVA power generating set, and three numbers forklifts of various tonnages. The port is expected to create at least 2,000 direct jobs and hundreds of thousands indirect jobs.

It is one of the River Ports built to support the dredging of Lower River Niger project. Onitsha River Port has already been rehabilitated while Oguta and Lokoja River Ports are nearing completion.

The Baro river port is will help keep off the road several heavy duty trailers and trucks, thereby extending the life span of our roads.

In the past, during the colonial era, Baro use to have a thriving River Port and a railway line which were used for evacuation of farm produce and mineral resources, it was a trading point between Nigeria and neighbouring countries through the Inland Waterways transportation mode.

The General Manager, Corporate Affairs of NIWA image maker, Tayo Fadile said that with the commissioning, there is now a genuine hope that the old Rail lines used in the colonial days will be revived and the road network linking the port which is presently being upgraded, will have direct positive impact on the socio-economic life of the people in the State.