The Federal Government has been called upon to ensure that all dry ports in the country are functional in order to boost sea business and other related maters.
An importer, Mr. Chidebere Dike made the call in an interview with newsmen, Monday in Port Harcourt.
He said that federal government must prevail on the customs and port officials to ensure that facilities at the dry ports are in good working condition and not to frustrate business.
Dike said that all commercial and industrial enterprises as well as unnecessary bureaucracy must be removed in the dry port environment.
According to him, inland dry ports was an important factor in the nation’s economic development.
He also explained that dry port was needed especially for those doing business in the hinterland.
The businessman noted that the concept of inland dry port has gained wide spread importance with the current changes in international transportation as a result of the container resolution and the introduction of what he described as door-to-door delivery of cargo.
He pointed out that such opportunity aid importers and exporters located within the country’s hinterland to access shipping and port services without visiting the seaports.
The importer, who declined to list his major area of importation, stressed that it was about time the federal government paved a better path for inland dry port operation.
He regretted that all attention was still channelled to crude oil production, and added that such mentality must be changed.
Dike listed Aba and Kano as some of the cities that need the presence of inland dry ports due to their viable business environments.
He equally called on President Mohammadu Buhari to extend his corruption compass to the maritime industry, inorder to check the bad eggs in that sector.