Senate Committee visits OGFZA, Onne port, demands concession
Port Harcourt — The Senate Committee on Trade and Investment has charged the Federal Government to concession the Eleme-Onne axis of the East-West Road, to private investors for reconstruction and management.
Chairman of the Committee, Senator Francis Fadahunsi, during a visit to the Oil and Gas Free Zone in Onne, described the deplorable road as a key transport artery for the nation’s economy.
Fadahunsi, who led members of committee to tour the Free Zone, described Onne Free Zone as a successful initiative in public-private sector project.
He explained that the committee was conducting the oversight visit in effort to work with OGFZA and other stakeholders in the zone to generate more jobs for Nigerians.
“The lone access road to the oil and gas industrial hub in the Eleme-Onne axis of Rivers State needs to be urgently saved from total disrepair, in order to prevent adverse impact on industries located in the area that could lead to a massive loss of jobs and revenue to government.
“The Eleme-Onne Road is part of the East-West Road network and serves as the only access to the Port Harcourt Refineries at Eleme; the Onne Port Complex; the nation’s flagship Oil and Gas Free Zone at Onne; Indorama-Eleme Petrochemicals Company, which is the nation’s leading fertilizer producer and exporter; as well as the Notore Industries Limited, another fertilizer producer and promoter of the Notore Industrial City (a free zone).”
Similarly, the Managing Director of OGFZA, Umana Okon Umana, reiterated the need for the Federal Government to concession the Eleme-Onne section of the East-West Road.
Umana also presented OGFZA progress report in infrastructure development, increase in investments and export value, as well as human capital development to the committee.
Lagos — In a bid to free the port access roads of the perennial gridlock, Nigeria’s foremost shipping and cargo logistics services provider, Hull Blyth, has opened a
Presentations were also made operators in the Free Zone, which include Intels Nigeria Limited and FMCEquip, makers of equipment for deep sea oil drilling.
FMCEquip, in its presentation, reported 96percent compliance in local content laws and regulations, and commended the management of OGFZA for being very supportive. rail hub at Wasimi, Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State, for use.
The Wasimi Rail Hub, which is the first of its kind in Nigeria, will allow shippers receive import containers from Apapa port, and also send export/empty containers to the port by rail.
The Managing Director of Hull Blyth, Mr. Christian Holm, who disclosed this in Lagos on Monday, said the new rail hub will save shippers the hassles and high cost of transporting their containers to/from the port by road.
“We started this project because we are concerned about the pains shippers go through in moving their boxes in and out of the Apapa port in Lagos due to the congestion on the port access road.
“We are happy to inform all shippers in the southwest and other parts of Nigeria that they no longer have to go through the pains of trucking their containers to Apapa. Just send it to us at Wasimi and we will gladly move it to Apapa port by rail.
“Importers should also simply hand over their consignments to us at Apapa port and we will move it by rail to Wasimi from where it will be moved to final destination.
“It is time shippers took advantage of the rail services revived by the Federal Government and relieved themselves of the stress and high cost associated with road haulage,” Mr. Holm said.
The Hull Blyth Managing Director said that empty containers returned to the Wasimi Rail Hub will not attract demurrage, as it will be deemed to have been returned to the shipping company.