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*President Buhari Unveils Largest Deep Sea Port in Africa*
Omolara Omosanya & Yemisi Dada
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday inaugurated the Lekki Deep Sea Port, Nigeria’s deepest sea port situated within the Lekki Free Zone in Lagos and currently the largest in Africa.
The President who arrived at the venue in an helicopter alongside the Governor of the State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu cut the ceremonial tape at at the Port at 4:42pm
In a remark, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu noted that the Lekki Deep Sea Port, a PPP project of the Federal and Lagos State governments and private investors said that the actual construction work started during the administration of the President.
“We are indeed excited that the project execution started during your regime and it is now completed during your tenure, the size of the vessels that will be coming in here will be up to four times the size of vessels that currently berths at Tin can and Apapa ports, so we are excited, it is a massive infrastructure and it’s going to generate thousands and thousands of jobs directly and indirectly” he said.
Prior to the arrival of the President, the Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Mrs Lola Akande had in a speech, pointed out that the Deep Sea Port would would complement others in the Country and expressed optimism that the port would further deepen Lagos position as an investment hub in Nigeria.
In a goodwill message, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, Mr. Mohammed Bello-Koko said the agency had purchased the necessary equipment for monitoring and regulation at the Ports and some neighbouring Countries had indicated interest in making use of the Port.
He said “we believe that the cost of doing business at this Port will actually be cheaper, it will be more efficient and it has become a model for upcoming ports”
Speaking on behalf of the host communities, the Onilekki of Lekki, Oba Laisi Ogunbekun thanked the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Bola Tinubu for conceiving the Lekki Free Zone and expressed continued support of all members of the Lekki community for development projects in the axis.
In a remark, the Managing Director of Lekki Port, LFTZ Enterprise, Mr Du Rougang thanked the host community for their cooperation and said the organisation would continue to work with relevant government’s agencies, including the NPA, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, the Nigerian Maritime Adminstration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, and the Nigerian Customs Service.
Dignitaries at the event included the Minister of Transportation, Muazu Sambo, his Information and Culture counterpart, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, heads of government agencies in the transportation sector many traditional rulers in the Lekki Community, top businessmen and others.
Correspondent Omolara Omosanya reports that the Lekki Deep Sea Port is fully automated and digitized Port
President Buhari also inaugurated the thirty-two metric tonnes Imota Rice Mill which is expected to produce two point five million, fifty kilogrammes bags of rice annually.
The President who did not speak throughout the event was accompanied by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to unveil and inspect the facility alongside some top government functionaries, traditional rulers and other stakeholders.
In a remark, Governor Sanwo-Olu thanked President Muhammad Buhari for gracing the event aimed at ensuring sustainable food Security
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Earlier, the Lagos Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms Abisola Olusanya noted that with the production of rice from the mill tagged “EKO RICE”, availability of the produce would be guaranteed all year round.
Olusanya said “More importantly, the prestige that comes with owning a facility of this magnitude in Lagos, the smallest State in Nigeria, yet the largest rice mill in Africa, third largest in the world, it is disrupting, it pioneering, it is game changing”
Some of the Royal Fathers at the event, the Ranodu of Imota, Oba Mudashiru Bakare-Agoro and the Oniru of Iruland, Oba Gbolahan Lawal appreciated the efforts of the Sanwo-Olu administration in ensuring the successful completion of the project which according to them would bring prosperity to the state.
They also hailed the Federal government for encouraging local production of rice.
Correspondent Yemisi Dada reports that the rice mill, biggest in Africa and fourth largest in the world has two Warehouses, sixteen silos, and is sited on a twenty -two hectares of land in Imota with modern facilities and is expected to generate two hundred and fifty thousand direct and indirect jobs and ensure food security in the state and beyond.
