A paucity of funds has stalled the commencement of the Inland Dry ports projects, with that factor forming a part of a set of other factors.
Another factor, as noted by the Deputy Director, Public-Private Partnership of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Mallam Mustapha Zubairu, was land; the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
Zubairu said that the problem of land was made more complex by some state governments that have not held up the end of their commitment to an implementation scheme.
He said, “There are a lot of factors that have affected the early commencement of the project and basically it has to do with funding. Funding was a bit challenging for the concessionaires and this is because the project is capital intensive and not something that can easily be done by an individual.
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“Another challenge has to do with land. Some state governments have failed to perform their own commitment based on implementation strategy.
“They are supposed to play key roles toward the provision of basic amenities like access road to the site, perimeter fencing, security, water and others.
“Most state governments failed to discharge some of these responsibilities and the most critical of them all is the land to be delivered free from all incumbrances and this was relatively challenging for some state governments.
“Also, the procurement process is very wrong and protracted. It is an unsolicited proposal that needs to be matched with other interested parties and so presently, still stands as preferred bidders.”
