The Federal Government is considering concessioning the Baro River Port, in Niger State, to private operators as a way of unlocking its long-stalled potential, citing chronic funding shortages for dredging and vital road and rail connections.
Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, told the House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee on Baro Port on Tuesday that the facility — commissioned in 2019 — has struggled to operate due to the absence of key infrastructure and navigability challenges along the River Niger.
“When the port was conceived, one would have expected that the necessary infrastructure should have been provided. We inherited the project barely two years ago. Unfortunately, we are hampered by a scarcity of funds”, Oyetola said.
The Minister outlined plans for capital and continuous dredging, road and rail linkages, and private sector partnerships to revive the inland port. He disclosed that the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) intends to dredge up to 2,000 kilometres of waterways to maintain year-round operations.
NIWA Managing Director, Bola Oyebamiji, recalled the port’s origins in 1908 under Lord Lugard as a key agricultural and trade hub between northern and southern Nigeria. He confirmed that 94% of the ₦3.56 billion contract sum for its modernisation had been paid under the previous administration, and said talks are underway to concession the port to credible private operators.
Minister of Transportation, Sa’idu Alkali, added that his ministry is working on a rail line to connect Baro to the national network but stressed that adequate funding remains a major hurdle.
Committee Chairman, Sa’idu Abdullahi, said the panel’s role is to facilitate — not investigate — the port’s operationalisation, describing its strategic value to national trade, regional connectivity, and economic diversification as “immense and non-negotiable.”
Lawmakers will conduct an on-the-spot assessment at Baro on August 16, ahead of a planned national stakeholders’ forum to build consensus and mobilise political, technical, and financial support for the project.
