The Edo State Governor Mr Godwin Obaseki, on Tuesday, February 15, 2022, took a tour of the Lekki Deep Sea Port being constructed in the Lagos Free Zone.
The governor was accompanied on the tour by the Special Adviser on Strategy, Policy, Projects and Performance Management, Mrs Sarah Ajose-Adeogun, and Engr. Greg Ogbeifun, Chairman Benin River Port Implementation Committee.
According to Obaseki, the tour was necessary to have a close-up view of the multipurpose sea port and visualise the ongoing development of the Benin River Port in Gelegele.
The governor used the opportunity to ask very important questions about specifications of some aspects of the project, including clarifications on wind breakers, the foundation of the port itself amongst others.
He later made a stop at the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical plant also located in the Lekki Free Zone.
Recall that the governor while receiving the director-general of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) recently said the Benin River Port project is critical and strategic to Nigeria’s economy.
Obaseki told the management of NIMASA led by the director-general, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, at the Government House in Benin City, that: “Edo State ecology remains unique, with swamp, rain forest and savanna planes.
“There is nothing we cannot grow here and with a port here, it will be a unique opportunity, as it will not be moving traffic one way.
“For us, agricultural activities will be further enhanced with the access to this port. The blue economy has always been critical to our growth as a people and I am glad to inform you that over the last four years, a lot of work has gone on with the project.”
Obaseki maintained that the project was important to the state, as long as government at all levels want to diversify the Nigerian economy.
He added: “We don’t have a choice or an option. The global economy will be driven by other factors outside crude oil or the fuel economy we are used to.”
Latest checks on the dualisation of Ekenhuan Road leading to the Benin River Port in Gelegele, a major component of the port development project, showed contractors expediting work as they take advantage of the dry season.
