By ERICJAMES OCHIGBO

Former Heads of State, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (rtd), and Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd) have pledged support for rehabilitating and operationalizing the Baro Inland Port in Niger State.

The duo made the pledge in separate roundtable meetings with members of the House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee on the Rehabilitation and Operationalisation of the Baro Inland Port, in Minna.

On his part, former Military President Babangida described the lawmakers? visit as timely, saying the Baro project was something he had long prayed for and championed across different administrations.

?I want to thank you very much for the opportunity to visit me here. It couldn?t have come at a better time, as it is something we have prayed for over many years,? he said.

In his remarks, Babangida recalled advocating for the project during the administrations of former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Musa Yar?Adua.

Babangida said that he had high hopes that the current push would be the final one needed to get the project completed.

The former head of state said that Niger needed the project to attain its dream of industrialisation, saying that such facility was a catalyst for development.

?I am glad yours will be the last time, God willing, that we will get it formalised and completed during your time.

?You can rest assured that I will do the best I can to support you on this. We pray God will spare our lives to see what you have put across become natural, and realised.

?I will continue to support you, and I will also keep putting pressure on all of you ? pressure on the president, pressure on everyone involved in this project.

?If you slacken even a little, we will prod you to keep going,? he said.

On his part, Abdulsalami urged that the port be elevated to the status of an internationally recognised inland waterway to secure its long-term viability.

He explained that once it was made an international waterway, no future government or political interest would be able to tamper with it.

He recalled that successive administrations ? from the eras of Babangida and Abacha to his own ? had recognised the port?s strategic importance but allowed it to suffer neglect despite repeated commissioning ceremonies.

The former head of state called for the dredging of the River Niger to Baro and securing international recognition for it.

He called for the resuscitation of the rail line linking the port to the North; the construction of a proper, motorable access road and the designation of the port as an inland free zone to attract investment.

?Baro Port, from time immemorial, has played a very significant role in bringing goods to the North. We must restore it to that position.

?For God?s sake, make sure that any allocation for Baro is utilised, this port is very critical to us,? he said.

He also urged the committee to consider the development of other inland ports, such as Lokoja, for coordinated trade and economic growth, pledging his full backing for their work.

The Chairman of the Committee, Rep. Saidu Abdullahi (APC-Niger), said the visit was to conduct an on-the-spot assessment of the port, the rail corridor, and the access roads, with a view to addressing challenges and exploring opportunities to making the facility operational.

He explained that the team, which included representatives of the Federal Ministries of Transport and Works as well as the Nigerian Railway Corporation, would also meet with traditional rulers and the Niger governor before returning to Abuja to present their findings.

He said that the Baro Inland Port, inaugurated in 2019 amid high expectations, was envisioned as a major logistics hub for Nigeria?s inland waterways and rail network.

He said billions of naira had been invested in the project, yet it remained non-operational ? a situation the committee was determined to resolve. (NAN)

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