The Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, says the development of the Benin River Port will guarantee the diversification of the nation’s economy from oil, into a buoyant non-oil sector.
He noted that the Port will improve agriculture and agro-allied businesses.
Obaseki, who stated this through his Special Adviser on Special Media, Mr Crusoe Osagie in Benin City, said the Benin Port, on completion, would place the country on the path to sustainable economic growth.
According to him, the project will facilitate the export of agricultural produce, thereby boosting export earnings and stimulating economic growth and development.
The Port, he explained, would also decongest traffic in Lagos Port and facilitate the distribution of goods produced in Edo to other parts of the country.
The Governor condemned the country’s over-dependence on oil and called for increased investment in agriculture to achieve food security, create jobs and improve the livelihoods of citizens.
“The reason we are building the Benin River Port is because of its huge economic benefits to Edo and Nigeria.
“The port will become the closest to the heart of the country so that we will be able to act as a sponge to get whatever we are producing here across other parts of the country”, he said.
Obaseki said his government is investing in palm oil production to drive its economy, adding “we cannot continue to depend on crude oil.
“Our over-reliance on oil has not increased our global competitiveness. We must intensify efforts to diversify the economy away from (crude) oil”, the Governor concluded.