The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi yesterday hinted that the Federal Government would require about US$16Million to actualise some of its plans in the transportation sector, especially the construction of two deep seaports in Bonny, Rivers State and Warri, Delta State as well as the Port Harcourt Railway Industrial Park.
The Minister disclosed this in an interview with State House correspondents after his meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Thursday.
Amaechi however disclosed that said since the money needed was not coming easily, the government may consider adopting Public Private Partnership for some of the projects that had been approved.
He stated that already, there were plans to dredge the Calabar seaport, through Public Private Partnership (PPP).
He also expressed the hope that the problem of gridlock on the road leading to Apapa port in Lagos would be over by December.
“In terms of the narrow gauge, if not for a hitch, we would have commenced trucking cargo form Apapa seaport to Ebute-Metta-Lagos and takeaway the challenges we are having with that Apapa grid and bad road. That will happen before December,” he said.
The minister said, “There are approvals for our sector but we have to look for the money because the money is not just there.
“We need about $16bn and we can’t just pluck that form the sky. We will try and see if we can get Public Private Partnership PPP, especially as it pertains to the seaports.
“There are two deep seaports that were approved: the Bonny and Warri deep seaports.
“As for the Port Harcourt railway industrial park, we should also be able to get that done through PPP even though I doubt if we will be able to get railway as PPP because it is quite expensive.”
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