By Saidu Abubakar
An examination of the Baro Inland Port is incomplete without addressing the apathy surrounding the project whose funding is 94 per cent completed but political cankerworm seems to have caught up with all that is associated with it. Where lies the oversight function of the federal lawmakers, who are supposed to be vividly expressing the project’s frustration? Where lies the expertise of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy or the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA)?
This is coming at a time the presidential campaign rally to states canvassing for votes ahead of 2027 is gathering momentum. Just recently, the ruling-APC campaign rally was held in Uyo, Akwai Ibom State where Mr. President approved deep seaport project for the state.
Although while in Kaduna on 24th October, 2026, the president inaugurated the 81km section of Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Dual Carriageway. Vice President Kashim Shettima too listed:
- AKK Gas Pipeline
- Kano-Maradi Railway
- Lagos-Kano Rail Corridor
- Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Road
- Sokoto-Badagry Highway
Uba Sani listed:
- Kaduna-Birnin Gwari Road — N178bn
- Kaduna Metropolitan Red Line Rail — $865 million approved, $300m mobilised
- Zaria-Soba Road
- NELFUND — N84bn
They did NOT think Baro could win votes — because after 6 years of commissioning on paper, even they don’t believe it would happen. If Baro project cannot even get a mention when the whole North was gathered in Kaduna to ask for a second term, when will it get a mention?
That’s the question the North-Central — Niger, Kwara, Kogi, Plateau, Nasarawa, Benue, FCT should be asking those governors and lawmakers who were in Kaduna but kept mute over the abandoned priject.
However, the Baro Inland Port awarded/revived in 2012 under President Goodluck Jonathan for rehabilitation/completion was commissioned in January, 2019 by President Muhammadu Buhari, weeks before 2019 election. Costing about N6 billion then. Critics said at the time, was only 40% complete. And 7 years later, the position has barely changed.
Current position of Baro Port as of 2026 is: Still dormant (non-operational). As of September 2025, ThisDay called it “yet another monument to waste” — structures there, warehouses there, cranes installed, but no vessel, no barge, no cargo has ever berthed for commercial operation.
Advocacy group – Blue Resolution Initiative toured it 7 months after commissioning by President Buhari and said: “President only commissioned a warehouse lacking basic facilities to function as a port. No serious dredging of River Niger took place.” In 2025, former Deputy Speaker, Idris Wase, after leading House inspection, said the same thing: “What we saw is a project that was merely commissioned on paper.”
Why it can’t work — 3 missing links
River Niger at Baro is choked with silt. No proper dredging for big ships or barges. Sand has reclaimed what was excavated. And additionally, concerning road, a 55km Agaie – Katcha – Baro road awarded years ago is abandoned. Only about 8km of single lane haphazardly done. Most importantly, rail. The historic Baro-Kano railway line that once made Baro famous has since reportedly collapsed and restoration stalled for lack of funding.
What Tinubu government is doing now
Mid-2025: House of Reps set up an ad-hoc committee on Rehabilitation and Operationalisation of Baro Inland Port, led by Hon. Saidu Abdullahi who visited Gov. Umaru Bago in Minna. And in August 2025, Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, appeared before the lawmakers and restated commitment to revive it, even as the ministry has now clarified that no new contract has been awarded under Tinubu. They said the project predates them and they are only “assessing existing infrastructure and creating a roadmap.”
Gov. Bago is pushing it hard, saying: “This is not a Niger State project, not even a northern project. It is a Nigerian project.”
So what the House of Reps reportedly concluded in 2025 was that President Buhari commissioned an uncompleted port as election gimmick, and it has stayed abandoned since.
The most frustrating aspect of it
The House ad-hoc committee has NOT published a final report with a specific amount to complete Baro Inland Port. Rather, what they did in August 2025 was fact-finding, not costing. Here’s what is said to be on record:
- What was already spent according to the then MD of National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Bola Oyebamiji who stepped aside to pursue political aspiration, the committee, chaired by Hon. Saidu Musa Abdullahi (Bida/Katcha/Gbako):
Contract sum – N3.56 billion. Paid already – N3.35 billion — 94% Remainder on paper – N210 million. But the port still doesn’t work. So that N3.56bn was only for the port buildings/equipment — quay 150m, transit shed 3,600 sqm, stacking yard 7,000 sqm, crane, reach stacker, forklifts. It did NOT include the 3 things that should actually make it a port. - What is still missing — NO cost attached yet. Missing link Status in committee hearing. Dredging River Niger, NIWA says it plans to dredge 2,000km of waterways for year-round access. No cost given. But Oyetola said “We are hampered by scarcity of funds.” Road — Agaie-Katcha-Baro 53km, awarded 13 years ago, abandoned. Committee found after oversight visit in August 16, 2025: “10 years after contract, work far from completion.” 30-min journey now takes 4+ hours. No new cost given.
Rail — Baro-Kano line. Minister of Transportation Sa’idu Ahmed Alkali said “Ministry is developing a rail line to connect Baro.” No cost, no timeline. Funding is “major hurdle.” - What the Committee actually recommended. Not a naira figure. They recommended a process: (1) Concession the port to a private operator — FG says it has no money to dredge/build road/rail, so bring in private capital. (2) Hold a National Stakeholders Forum to build consensus. (3) Appeal to lawmakers for improved budgetary provisions — i.e. put it in 2026 budget
- *Liaise with Works/Transport/NRC to finish access road as “final obstacle.” Chairman Abdullahi said it himself: “Our role is not investigative but facilitative.”
- The only new number floating around. Niger State Government — Gov. Umaru Bago — announced in October, 2026 a plan for a 284 sq km Baro Smart Port City around the port.
No budget, no contractor, no start date published yet. It’s a masterplan, not an awarded contract.
Bottom line
Spent: N3.56bn (94% paid); Needed to finish: Unknown/Not costed publicly;
Committee’s figure: None. They said “give us more budget” but didn’t say how much; FG position: “No money. Concession it.”
That’s exactly why IBB and Abdulsalami told the committee in Minna in August: “For God’s sake, make sure that any allocation for Baro is utilised. This port is very critical to us.” They’ve heard “we will revive it” since 2019, but nobody has put a total completion cost on paper yet.
