The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) has taken another giant step in the quest to make the Inland Container Depot (ICD) dream a reality by handing over Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) to the concessionaire in charge of Jos ICD, Messrs Duncan Maritime Services.
The all-important certificate was presented to the chairman of the company, Air vice Marshal Abass Umoru (rtd) in Lagos by the Minister of Transport, Alhaji Ibrahim Bio who seized the opportunity of the occasion to charge the concessionaire to work toward early completion of the project so that it can assist in the government’s port decongestion action.
According to him, the ICD has capacity to reduce the congestion that was recently experienced in Lagos ports. Once the ICD is completed, importers within the location of the ICD will take advantage of its location and will no longer need to come down to Lagos ports to clear their goods since it can be transferred directly to the Jos ICD.
Giving an insight into the extent of work on the ICD project, the executive secretary Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Capt. Adamu Biu recalled that the tow of such certificates had earlier been given to the concessionaires in charge of the ICD in Kano, Kano state and Isiala Ngwa in Abia state.
The obviously happy Shippers’ Council boss disclosed that concessionaires of the ICDs in Maiduguri, Funtua and Ibadan will soon get their certificates of occupancy of the land.
Responding, the managing director Duncan Maritime, Dr. Godfrey Shittgurum disclosed that his company had already initiated plans for commencement of work on the N5Billion project which according to him would be completed within three years.
He explained that Duncan Maritime intends to source for funds to complete the project from its foreign partners, foreign banks and Nigerian banks, even as eh disclosed that the ICD has capacity to employ about 2,000 Nigerians.
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