Blessing Onumajuru
5 November 2009
A frontline freight forwarder based in Aba, Abia State, Dr. Hardy E.U. Onwuegbulam has identified poor road infrastructures between Port Harcourt, Aba Umuahia and their environs as one area that may be an impediment to the good use of the Inland Container Depot - ICD located at Ntigha, Isiala Ngwa North local government area of Abia state.
Speaking to Daily Champion on Monday during the ceremony to hand over the ICD to the concessionaire, Eastgate Inland Container Terminal Limited, Dr. Onwuegbulam who is also the traditional ruler of Ndiagh Ozuitem ancient kingdom said that the rehabilitation of the access roads from the seaports to the Dry Port should be improved simultaneously.
According to him, the state of the roads in the area will have some level of impact on the operations of the ICD, noting that to enjoy the best benefit from the ICD, the road network within the region need to be improved upon. This he said is urgent.
Eze Onwuegbulam who was a one time assistant national secretary general of Association of Nigerian Licenced Customs Agents - ANLCA expressed happiness that the ICD is located in the area.
According to him, the citing of the ICD in Isiala Ngwa will reduce cost of doing business in the area. He said it will equally facilitate trade and reduce man-hour in the process which according to him is almost the most important thing in the entire exercise.
He said establishing a dry port anywhere is like moving the river port to a dry land as every other transaction at the seaport will be moved to the Dry Port. He said by extension, since there is always business boom at every port, same will be experienced at Ntigha ICD when it becomes functional in the next 30 months.
Other benefits he identified includes the reduction of cost of transportation of container and imports from the ICD to the markets located at Aba, Onitsha, Umuahia and other places within the zone. He said the environmental benefits are uncountable as it will affect even estate developers, banks, and other anxiliary companies that got to do with import/export business.
The Agho III of Ndiagho asked the service providers in the shipping sector to decentralize their operations as that is a better way of facilitating trade.
Commenting on the general security in Abia State, he said that there is great improvement when compared with what it used to be. He observed that the coming of the new state police commissioner coupled with the strength of the governor has really improved security in the state.
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