The Federal Government has revealed plans to establish Maritime Resource Centre in Plateau State.
This decision, according to plans, would enhance the position of Nigeria on global tourism while boosting socio-economic activities in the country.
The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amechi, disclosed this at the Commissioning of the Nigerian Shippers Council Central Coordinating office in Jos Plateau State.
Amaechi said the Maritime Resource Centre is a project with tremendous economic potentials for the state in terms of employment, tourism, intellectual development, etc.
According to him, the resource centre will have a huge socio-economic impact on the state and urged the Plateau State government to partner with the Council in actualizing the project.
“You have my assurance that the Federal Ministry of Transportation and its agencies are here to partner with the great people of Plateau State to achieve its potentials,” he said.
In her address, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Dr Magdalene Ajani, said the proposed Maritime Resource Centre was a laudable project that will not only impact the socio-political economy of the State but will also put Nigeria on the World Tourism Map.
The Governor of Plateau State, Mr Simon Bako Lalong, said, when established, the proposed Maritime Resources Centre will have many facilities including Research and Administrative building, Library, Conference Centre and Multi-purpose hall with sitting capacity of over 2,500 people, and other meeting rooms.
According to him, it is an investment that will not only boost the economic fortunes of the State but also create job opportunities for many youths, adding that the project is coming at a time when there is greater demand for hotel accommodation, entertainment centres and tourist attractions to cope with the demand of the local population and the high number of visitors to the state.
“Our administration is happy that its efforts and sacrifices in the past six years towards investing in peace and security are now yielding positive results such as the one we are witnessing today. We shall continue to do more to consolidate on the substantial peace so as to attract more of this kind of investment for the betterment of our state.
“To make investing in the State easier, our Administration has established a One-Stop-Investment centre to give investors access to all services under one roof. This is in addition to continuous development and upgrade of our infrastructure and other services to support the growing economy,” he said.
