The Federal Government has restated its commitment to connect the whole country by rail with the soon to commence Ibadan-Kano Standard Gauge Rail project.
The Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, while on routine tour of the Lagos-Ibadan rail line project disclosed that the Nigerian Government has paid its share of the counterpart funding and awaits China-Exim bank to ratify its side of the agreement for the project to commence.
Speaking further on the Ibadan-Kano rail project, Amaechi, forewarned that the master plan of the soon to commence project should not be changed as the original blueprint for the Lagos-Ibadan wasn’t adhered to by Messrs CceccNig & TEAM Consortium.
The Minister who rode the train from Ebutte-Meta to the 8.72 km Apapa Port Spur line, informed the media that the inability of Messrs @CceccNig to link the final part of the rail line down to the sea is rather due to disruption by trucks going in and out of the port complex.
At the Samuel Ladoke Akintola train station (Omo-Adio), Amaechi advised the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), to acquire more land around the train stations and the rail tracks for future development. He further stated that this will be near impossible in the future as whatever space available now would have been taken over by businesses attracted by the rail line.
It will be recalled that full commercial train services on the Lagos-Ibadan rail line after trial runs commenced on December 7, 2020, with only Lagos, Ibadan and Abeokuta residents enjoying the train services as the major & minor stations along this route are yet to be completed.
The Permanent Secretary, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, the Managing Director, NRC, Engr. Fidet Okhiria, the Board Chairman, Alhassan Musa Ibrahim were among dignitaries those that accompanied the Honourable Ministry on the inspection tour.
