The federal government has
announced plans to build international rail lines that would connect Nigeria
with neighbouring countries.
The Minister of Transportation,
Rotimi Amaechi, made this known at a seminar in Abuja, while speaking on the
strategy being adopted by the ministry in the rail sector.
Amaechi, whose speech was read by
the ministry’s Director of Media, Yetunde Sonaike, said the Federal Government
was working assiduously to implement the 25-year railway master plan.
He stated that in the plan, the
Federal Government “would complete the total rehabilitation of all the narrow
gauge rail lines and put them to use. The Federal Government is currently
discussing with General Electric on the concession agreement.
“The government will construct
and complete some standard gauge lines in selected corridors across the
country, like the Itakpe-AJaokuta-Warri rail line, and undertake various
visibility studies with a view to connecting all state capitals, agricultural
and industrial clusters by rail.
“Government will also make
provision for some international linkages by rail to our neighbouring nations,
thus leveraging the ECOWAS arrangement and other continental protocols.”
The minister, however, did not
mention the neighbouring countries being considered by the Federal Government
to be connected with Nigeria by rail.
Railway in Nigeria is not 5% complete, you are talking of connecting other countries. Sometimes, i believe all that was said about this Ameachi to be true. Propaganda government
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