Cross River State Government has been issued an Outline Business Case certificate for the construction of its deep seaport.
The state Governor, Prof Ben Ayade, who came for the OBC at the Federal Ministry of Transportation in Abuja on Monday , said the certificate would enable the state move on to the next level of implementation of the seaport.
According to him, the certificate is an Outline Business Case that shows that there is a full densification commitment of the federal government through the Federal Ministry of Transportation.
He said the issuance of the OBC by the Federal Government through its Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission was the fastest ever recorded in Nigeria.
On when actual construction would commence at the seaport, Ayade said, “Work started there more than six months ago when we got the EIA approval which allowed us the legal right to get access to the ocean.
“But right now with this OBC certificate, we are going to be dealing directly with the concessionaires towards arriving at the specific location, data and commencement of actual work plans. But that can only come with the FBC.”
On his part, the Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi stated that with the OBC, the state would move on to the next step of action.
He said, “What they’ve got right now is the OBC. We will take the next move to verify all the necessary instruments that we need and then proceed back to the Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission for the FBC before we go to cabinet for approval.
