Baro Port: Reps summon Oyetola, NIWA MD
The House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on the Rehabilitation and Operationalisation of the Baro Inland Port has summoned the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola and the Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Bola Oyebamiji, to appear before it to answer questions over the non-operation of the multi-billion naira Baro […]
The House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on the Rehabilitation and Operationalisation of the Baro Inland Port has summoned the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola and the Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Bola Oyebamiji, to appear before it to answer questions over the non-operation of the multi-billion naira Baro Port in Niger State.
The committee chairman, Saidu Abdullahi (APC, Niger), who handed the summon during a session in Abuja on Tuesday, also directed NIWA to provide all relevant documents relating to the planning, construction, handover, and current state of the port, which he said, was initiated to ease the pressure on seaports and open up inland waterway transportation.
The committee gave NIWA and the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy seven days to submit all relevant documents, including contract papers, project scope, payment history, inspection reports, photographs and any correspondence indicating the port was ever officially declared operational.
“We need everything, the full contract files, evaluation reports, evidence of what was done and what was not done. We are asking for all relevant documents as far as the Baro Port is concerned. We are not here to fight anybody. This committee is very serious with our job.
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“The Managing Director and the Minister are summoned to appear. The matter has been referred to this committee and we are going to do our work thoroughly. We want to know how much was paid to the contractor. We want the financial breakdown. Let’s stop playing games. Somebody must take responsibility for what is clearly a scandal,” he said.
The lawmaker said the project which had already gulped billions of public funds must never be allowed to rot away without actualizing the purpose for which it was built.
“This is a very serious matter. We cannot allow a project that has gulped several billions of naira to go to waste. This House will not accept it. We have a responsibility to the Nigerian people to ensure that this kind of waste does not continue unchecked,” he added.
Other members of the committee who spoke during the session expressed disappointment over what they described as inconsistencies in claims about the port’s completion and usability.
They questioned why a port said to have been completed and handed over would remain non-operational, especially as there was no evidence of cargo movement or accessibility via road.
The committee vowed to go beyond oral assurances and examine actual evidence of readiness and functionality of the port as claimed.
The committee has also resolved to pay a follow-up visit to the Baro Port for further independent assessment and verification.
The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) attributed the continued non-operation of the multi-billion-naira Baro Inland Port to severe access limitations, siltation of the waterways, vandalized rail links, and security vulnerabilities, despite the project’s physical completion.
Speaking on behalf of the NIWA Managing Director during the meeting, General Manager, Ports and Environmental Services, Engr. Agbahe Fidelis, said the facility, although commissioned in 2019 by former President Muhammadu Buhari, has remained idle due to a combination of critical infrastructure deficits.