The President of the Badagry Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (BACCIMA), Alhaji Yahaya Idris, has called on the Federal Government to accelerate the development of the multi-billion-dollar Badagry Deep Seaport project.
The Badagry Deep Seaport project, valued at over $2.5 billion, is projected to transform the economic landscape of Badagry and its environs.
It will also serve as a critical gateway for trade across the West African subregion. However, delays in its execution have dampened local enthusiasm.
Idris emphasised the project’s vast economic prospects, urging its swift commencement to unlock immense opportunities for the region and the country during a courtesy visit to the newly appointed Controller of the Seme Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Comptroller Kayode Kolade, in Seme.
“The residents of Badagry and other communities are tired of waiting endlessly for the project to commence. We want to use this medium to appeal to the Nigerian Customs Service to be one of the vanguards for the quick development of the project. The timely completion of the project will equally enhance revenue generation for the Federal Government and reduce smuggling along this axis,” he said.
Idris revealed that BACCIMA had already reached out to key stakeholders, including the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), advocating for expedited progress.
In addition to the Deep Seaport plea, Idris urged the federal government to reconsider its policy on the total ban on the importation of fairly used vehicles, commonly known as Tokunbo. He highlighted the economic impact of the closure of the Seme border to vehicle imports.
He said: “This policy has profound and far-reaching consequences. In Nigeria alone, it has resulted in a loss of potential revenue, and for our Chamber, it has meant watching the lifeblood of trade slowly dissipate, leaving businesses in hardship and local economies struggling.”
