ABUJA, July 3 (NNN-Xinhua) — Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday welcomed the successful berthing of the first ship at the Lekki Deep Seaport, the country’s first deep seaport under construction in Lagos, the country’s economic hub.
The vessel, ZHEN HUA 28 departing from China’s Hong Kong, delivered on Friday three ship-to-shore cranes and 10 rubber-tired gantry cranes that will help in the evacuation of cargoes from vessels to the shore, Buhari said in a statement by his media advisor Femi Adesina.
The Nigerian leader congratulated all stakeholders in the maritime sector on the feat, saying that his approval of four new seaports in the country, including the Lekki Deep Seaport, was hinged on growing the economy.
According to the statement, the decision is also aimed at creating massive job opportunities, foreign investment inflows, and trade facilitation.
The Lekki Deep Seaport, constructed by the China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd, is the largest seaport in Nigeria, and one of the biggest in West Africa. It is designed to have the capacity to handle a significant volume of liquid and dry bulk un-containerized cargoes.
The current state of the seaport’s construction which is nearing full completion will make the operationalization of the facility a reality before the end of the year, Buhari said, reassuring Nigerians of his commitment to sustain investments in these new assets.
The nation’s maritime and aquatic resources are critical to the livelihoods of Nigerians and the government will spare no effort in successfully harnessing the potential of the sector, the Nigerian leader added. — NNN-XINHUA
