Reps probe Baro Inland Port project, summon Oyetola, NIWA boss

The House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on the Rehabilitation and Operationalisation of the Baro Inland Port has summoned the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, and the Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Bola Oyebamiji, over alleged irregularities surrounding the multi-billion-naira port project.

The summons was issued on Tuesday by Committee Chairperson, Saidu Abdullahi (APC, Niger), during a heated session at the National Assembly. The committee is investigating concerns that despite being commissioned in 2019, the port remains non-functional.

Abdullahi directed NIWA to submit all documentation related to the port’s planning, construction, handover, and current status. This includes contract agreements, financial records, inspection reports, photographs, and any correspondence indicating the port’s operational status.

“We need everything—the full contract files, evaluation reports, and proof of what was done and what wasn’t. This committee takes its mandate seriously,” Abdullahi said. “Somebody must take responsibility for what is clearly a scandal.”

He added that both the minister and the NIWA boss must appear before the committee to answer for the project’s failings.

Lawmakers expressed outrage over inconsistencies in official claims about the port’s completion and questioned why it has yet to be operational. There has been no evidence of cargo movement, nor is there road access to the site.

In response, Agbahe Fidelis, NIWA’s General Manager of Ports and Environmental Services, said poor infrastructure, including silted waterways, vandalised railway links, and bad roads, had hindered operations, despite the port being commissioned by former President Muhammadu Buhari in January 2019.

The committee also criticised the absence of key agencies—such as the Federal Ministry of Works and the Nigeria Railway Corporation—at the hearing and ordered their compulsory attendance at the next session.

A follow-up on-site visit to Baro Inland Port has been scheduled for independent assessment.

Background on Baro Inland Port

The Baro Inland Port, located in Niger State, was envisioned as a strategic facility to decongest Nigeria’s overburdened seaports and promote inland water transportation. It was designed to operate as a multi-modal logistics hub linked by rail, road, and waterways, facilitating cargo movement between the north and south.

Despite its formal commissioning in 2019, the facility has remained dormant, raising serious concerns over the fate of public funds spent on the project.