Managing Director of Inland Containers Nigeria Limited, Philip Omotayo Dada has commended the recent move by the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) to revive the Lagos – Kaduna dry port freight service by rail.
Dada who said this shortly after the visit of the new NRC MD, Kayode Opeifa to the Kaduna Inland Dry Port (KIDP), added that the move would improve the dry port’s efficiency by 70% and reduce operational costs by 50% .
Omotayo Dada, Managing Director of Inland Containers Nigeria Limited, also expressed optimism that within a few quarters, productivity at the Kaduna Inland Dry Port would increase significantly.
“We are optimistic that within a couple of quarters, before the year runs out, productivity would even increase by about 70%,” Dada noted.
Opeifa during the visit reaffirmed the NRC’s commitment to maximizing freight operations from Lagos to the Kaduna Inland Dry Port, aiming for full capacity utilization by the second quarter of 2025.
He stated that while logistical operations are in place, some non-logistical issues need to be addressed to ensure the seamless movement of goods via both narrow and standard gauge rail lines.
He expressed confidence that the necessary adjustments would be made to meet the target.
“There are little issues which are not related to logistics that needed to be cleared out. However, bearing all circumstances, we are determined that the Nigerian Railway Corporation will ensure that the movement of goods along both narrow and standard rail lines is at maximum. So, we are committed to ensuring that the movement of goods from Lagos to this Dry Port is achieved somewhere at the beginning of the second quarter,” Opeifa said.
He added, “We believe that all other issues related to other agencies of government would have been resolved and working with them should be able to ramp up, not to 70% but to 100%”
The Kaduna Inland Dry Port, commissioned in 2018, was established as a major logistics hub for exports, particularly agricultural products. However, it has been operating below capacity, handling fewer containers than initially expected.
Over the years, container movement between Apapa Port and the Kaduna Inland Dry Port has been intermittently suspended for various reasons. Notably, in September 2020, operations were halted due to the rehabilitation of railway tracks, disrupting freight transport. This suspension remained in place for over a year before being lifted in October 2021.
In a broader effort to improve freight connectivity between the southwestern seaports and inland regions, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) recently approved a $45.3 million contract for a feasibility study and engineering design of a new rail corridor.
This proposed railway will link Badagry Deep Sea Port, Tin Can Seaport, Apapa Seaport, and Lekki Seaport to the national rail network.
The planned alignment will extend from Badagry Deep Sea Port through Tin Can, Apapa, and Lekki Seaports, reaching Ijebu-Ode and Kajola, where it will integrate with the Lagos-Kano-Maradi Railway Modernization Project.
This initiative aims to enhance freight transport, facilitate trade, and drive economic growth across the country.
