Ogun State government has released 130 hectares of land along the Epe/Mojoda expressway, in Ijebu Ode, to the Federal Government for the proposed Ijebu Ode Port Terminal Project.

This follows the request for 130 hectares of land by the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr. Gboyega Oyetola, in a letter addressed to Governor Dapo Abiodun dated June 26, 2025.

According to analysts, the project will boost national trade, economic growth and development, ease the congestion around Lagos port system, increase the national GDP, and strengthen the Ogun State industrial hub initiative of the present administration.

The dry port, which is to be linked to the Lekki Deep Sea Port by a rail system, analysts believe, will further connect the proposed Kajola and Moniya Ibadan Dry Ports and Gateway International (Agro- Cargo) Airport to the same rail network.

Speaking on the approval, Abiodun said: “The Ijebu-Ode Inland Dry Port and the Gateway International Airport are critical enablers of industrialisation and regional competitiveness. Together, they will transform Ogun State into a logistics and economic powerhouse, creating prosperity for our people and opportunities for Nigeria at large.”

With the Kajola Inland Dry Port already secured for the Ogun Central Industrial Cluster and now the Ijebu-Ode Inland Dry Port for the Eastern corridor, Ogun State is strategically balancing industrial growth across its three senatorial districts, ensuring equity and sustainable development.”

It will be recalled that in January this year, President Bola Tinubu approved the establishment and development of Inland Dry Ports (IDP) in Ijebu-Ode and Moniya in Ogun State and Oyo State respectively, as part of his administration’s efforts to reduce congestion within seaports in Lagos, eliminate chronic delays and boost the nation’s economy.

Oyetola, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, said that the Inland Dry Ports, when completed, will generate jobs for the teaming youths of Ogun and Oyo states and other states in the south-western part of the country.

Oyetola said the ports are targeted at fast-tracking delivery to decongest the Western Port System. Design consultancies for the project, the Minister said, are on-going.

The notable deficiencies in the maritime sector such as general infrastructure decay, silted river courses, inadequate fish production, and inadequate river crafts, Oyetola said, require major attention.