The Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora and member representing Oluyole Federal Constituency, Honourable Tolulope Akande-Sadipe, has appealed to Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State not to lose the Ibadan Inland Dry Port to Ogun State.
Akande-Sadipe, who was the Special Adviser on Projects and Public-Private Partnership to the late Senator Abiola Ajimobi, when he was governor of Oyo State, said her sweat and the support of her late boss secured the Ibadan Inland Dry Port.
She said the project was conceptualised by her during the Ajimobi administration.
She said: “The idea sprung up on a visit to Lagos to see my mother, the traffic from trucks queuing to get into the Apapa Ports led to the brainwave that this could be another economic opportunity for Oyo State, which has an advantage based on its geographical position and the new train line from Lagos.
“Knowing that this would further stir up the economic revival in our beloved Oyo State, I approached the governor with the idea, and he gave his consent to commence the leg work.
“I contacted Mr. Hassan Bello-led Shippers Council through Mr. Anifowoshe, who was based in the Ibadan office in 2018, and extensive talks about decongesting Lagos by setting up an Inland Dry Port in Oyo began.
“The rationale for Olorisha Oko was based on its location as the point where the first phase of the new train line from Lagos to the North passing through Ibadan would terminate. That way, containers could be shipped by train from Lagos ports to Ibadan and further on with the completion of other stages of the project, as is the case in developed nations.
“I and my Bureau of Investment Promotions and Project Office team, most especially Mr. Kunle Olusina, with the support of our principal, late Senator Abiola Ajimobi, worked tirelessly to make it a reality.”
Akande-Sadipe appealed to the current Peoples Democratic Party-led state government “not to play politics with the socio-economic development of Oyo State.”
The lawmaker noted that the Inland Dry Port would bring about 24,000 direct new jobs and also attract new investors and big corporations to take advantage of the Free Trade Zone.
Former Governor Ajimobi; Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi; and Executive Secretary/CEO Nigeria Shippers Council, Hassan Bello, met in Ibadan on May 21, 2019 during the handover ceremony of the Ibadan Inland Dry Port and exchange of letters at the Oyo State Governor’s Office.
At that time, Akande-Sadipe had resigned and won her election to represent Oluyole Federal Constituency and was not present at the meeting.
The proposed Inland Dry Port was estimated as an investment worth $99,665,626 (N35.9 billion), which is expected to ease the pressure on the Apapa Seaport and the perennial gridlock on the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway as well as make the arduous task of import clearance accessible to the hinterlands of the South West and the northern part of the country.
Bello at the time said the project would have equipment parking, truck parking, among other facilities and would occupy 90 hectares of land, which was provided by the state government.
The Minister at the meeting expressed appreciation to the governor for making the dream of Ibadan Inland Dry Port a reality by providing the land and facilitating necessary logistics for the project.
According to a statement by her Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Olamilekan Olusada, Hon. Akande-Sadipe is worried about losing the project to Ogun State over the delay in implementation since the change of administration.