By Joshua Egbodo
Abuja
House of Representatives yesterday kicked against a motion urging the federal government to concession the Gele-Gele seaport to Edo state government as well as declare it an export and import free trade zone.
Hon. Johnson Agbonayinma had in a motion seeking the intervention of the National Assembly in the concession of the seaport, said the seaport would play a significant role in the economic development of the country.
But the majority of members voted against the motion, apparently not convinced of the arguments put forward by the lawmaker.
He said: “The concession will put the seaport to optimal utilisation when Edo state government in partnership with private investors, manage the seaport as this will boost revenue generation, create more jobs, boost economic activities in the state, assist in the decongestion of other seaports.
“It will attract foreign investments and ensure increase in timely delivery and distribution of merchandise to consumer markets.”
The motion was kicked against by Kolawale Gabriel and Olusegun Odebunmi.
Gabriel argued that the motion was trying to ambush the federal government, adding that “if Edo state is interested in the seaport, they have a comparative advantage, but they should allow other Nigerians to participant through a competitive bidding process.”
When the motion was put to a voice vote by the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, more members voted in the negative.
