Lawmakers Summon Minister Over Operationalisation Of Baro Inland Port

The House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on the Rehabilitation and Operationalisation of the Baro Inland Port has summoned the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola.

The Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Bola Oyebamiji , is also to appear before it over anomalies surrounding the multi-billion-naira inland port project.

Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee, Hon. Saidu Abdullahi, who issued the summons during a session in Abuja on Tuesday, also directed NIWA to provide all relevant documents relating to the planning, construction, handover, and current state of the port, which was initiated to ease the pressure on seaports and open up inland waterway transportation.

The committee gave NIWA and the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy seven days to submit all relevant documents, including contract papers, project scope, payment history, inspection reports, photographs, and any correspondence indicating the port was ever officially declared operational.

“We need everything, the full contract files, evaluation reports, evidence of what was done and what was not done. We are asking for all relevant documents as far as the Baro Port is concerned. We are not here to fight anybody”.

“This committee is very serious with our job. The Managing Director and the Minister are summoned to appear. The matter has been referred to this committee and we are going to do our work thoroughly. We want to know how much was paid to the contractor. We want the financial breakdown”.

“Let’s stop playing games. Somebody must take responsibility for what is clearly a scandal,” Abdullahi said.

He stressed that the project cannot be allowed to waste away despite the billions already spent on it.

“This is a very serious matter. We cannot allow a project that has gulped several billions of naira to go to waste. This House will not accept it. We have a responsibility to the Nigerian people to ensure that this kind of waste does not continue unchecked,” he added.

Lawmakers at the session expressed disappointment over what they described as inconsistencies in claims about the port’s completion and usability.

They queried why a port said to have been completed and handed over would remain non-operational, especially as there was no evidence of cargo movement or accessibility via road.

The Committee agreed to go beyond oral assurances and examine actual evidence of readiness and functionality.

The lawmakers noted that the Baro Port project, which has reportedly gulped billions of naira, was originally conceived to decongest seaports and facilitate inland water cargo operations.

The committee said it was unacceptable that after such huge public expenditure, no value was being delivered to the Nigerian people.

“This is not about witch-hunt. It’s about accountability. The people deserve to know what happened to their money,” a member said.

The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) attributed the continued non-operation of the multi-billion-naira Baro Inland Port to severe access limitations, siltation of the waterways, vandalized rail links, and security vulnerabilities, despite the project’s physical completion.”

Speaking on behalf of the NIWA Managing Director during the meeting, the General Manager, Ports and Environmental Services, Engr. Agbahe Fidelis, said the facility, although commissioned in 2019 by former President Muhammadu Buhari, has remained idle due to a combination of critical infrastructure deficits.

The committee also resolved to pay a follow-up visit to the Baro Port for further independent assessment and verification.

It demanded agencies, such as the Ministry of Works and Nigeria Railway Corporation, that failed to show up for the meeting to ensure they attend the next one.

Oduyemi Odumade, Edited By Grace Namiji