Uche Amunike
In its bid to live up to its administration’s dream of revamping the railway system and developing railway infrastructure, President Buhari’s government recorded a new milestone, as the Lagos-Ibadan railway project became finally inaugurated, Thursday 10th June, 2021.
According to Presidential Spokesman, Femi Adesina, in his press statement, the government will not relent in making rail system a priority, as transportation always attracted new business opportunities and wealth creation.
Speaking during the event, President Buhari extolled the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and Minister of Finance, Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, for their zeal in following clear cut directives given them to cooperate with the appropriate co-donors who partnered with the Federal government to successfully develop the Ibadan-Kano railway station. He commended the efforts of the team for what he called a ‘job well done’, while noting that it will link the Tin Can Island Port and the West Coastal Rail line from Lagos to Calabar, linking Onitsha, Benin, Warri, Yenogoa, Port Harcourt, Aba and Uyo.
His words: ‘from the beginning of this administration, railway infrastructure development has been given the priority it deserves and various milestones have been reached right from when the abuja-kaduna railway was flagged off for commercial operation in 2016, to this Lagos-Ibadan railway project being commissioned today for full commercial operation’. On the advantages to be enjoyed from not just the Lagos-Ibadan railway projects across board, he said, ‘this vital line established an end-to-end logistics supply chain in railway transport within its short corridor, Lagos-Ibadan as goods to the hinterland will now be transported by rail directly from the Apapa Port Quayside, straight to the Inland Container Depot located in Ibadan from where it can be distributed to other parts of the country. In clear recognition of the challenges posed to economic growth by absence of strong and effective infrastructure, we have in the rail sector further to other ongoing railway infrastructure projects, embarked on the completion of the outstanding segment of the Lagos-Kano railway which is Ibadan-Kano. The Lagos-Kano project when completed will link the Kano-Maradi line at Kano and a rail link from the Nigeria Southern Ports of Lagos to Maradi will be achieved in Niger Republic. The connection through real will position Nigerian Ports as the choice for import and export business of the people of landlocked Nigeria Republic which will attract business opportunities.’
After the inauguration which which took place at the Mobolaji Johnson Railway Station, Ebute Metta- Lagos, the president took a ride to the Energy Nature Light(ENL) Terminal, Apapa Port, Lagos. He was joined by the Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi gbajabiamila, Governor Babajide Sanwo- Olu of Lagos State, governors of Ekiti, Oyo, Ogun and the Deputy Governor of Ondo, the Minister of Transport and Minister of State Transportation, Sen. Gbemisola Saraki, and other ministers and government officials.
