Federal Government has concluded arrangements to commence the dredging of the Calabar Channel to enable bigger ships berth at the Calabar port complex.
?The Minister of Transport, Senator Idris A. Umar, disclosed this to the Cross River State Governor, Liyel Imoke during a courtesy call on him in Calabar recently. He added that procurement exercise for the commencement of the project has been concluded.
Umar further disclosed that efforts were on to start work on the Calabar-North-East rail line which will boost transportation on that flank of the country and said that the Ministry was fully prepared to partner the State to achieve these goals as part of the transformation agenda of the Federal Government.
The Minister, who was accompanied on the visit by top echelon of the ministry as a prelude to a retreat scheduled to hold in Calabar, said that the retreat would afford the ministry the opportunity to take stock of its activities and reposition it to achieve the transformation agenda of the Jonathan administration.
Umar said that during the retreat, the participants intended to deliberate on issues that would contribute to the socio-economic development of the country.
He remarked that he was impressed with the level of developmental activities in the State having known the antecedent of Governor Imoke as Chairman Technical Board on NEPA and as Minister of Power and Steel.
Responding, Governor Imoke noted that the dredging of the Calabar Channel was critical to the development of the key sectors of the State’s economy as its completion and commissioning would ginger more activities at the Calabar Port Complex.