Lagos receives 17 locomotive-driven containers from Kano Dry Port

By Sodiq Adelakun

In a wake of boosting the profitability of the Dala Dry Port in Kano State, the first set of 17 locomotive-driven containers arrived in Lagos on Wednesday.

The containers, which were loaded at the Dala Inland Port, took 10 days to complete the journey to Lagos, operating only during the daytime. The cargo train was received by federal government officials, including the Managing Director of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), Engr. Fidet Okhiria.

The successful arrival of the containers marks the beginning of a new era in the transportation of goods from the hinterlands to the ports.

The Kano-Lagos rail route is expected to ease the movement of goods, reduce the number of articulated vehicles on Nigerian roads, and avert possible mishaps.

The containers, which were loaded at the Dala Inland Port, took 10 days to complete the journey, operating only during the daytime.

The cargo train, which arrived at noon on Wednesday, July 17, was received by federal government officials, including the Managing Director of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), Engr. Fidet Okhiria.

According to Governor Abba Kabiru Yusuf of Kano State, who was represented by his deputy, Abdulsalam Gwarzo, the project has provided opportunities for direct importation of goods from abroad to Kano State without hindrance.

“This project is key to us. Days are gone when people go to Lagos to claim their goods, Port Harcourt or Calabar. It has come when the government of Kano State is about to join Lagos State in enacting a policy on transportation to enable us to diversify the economic potentials of the state by tapping the enormous benefits in the sector,” the governor said.