President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Ministries of Transportation and Finance to conclude financial arrangements with appropriate co-financiers that will partner with the Federal Government for construction of West-East Coastal rail line from Lagos to Calabar, linking some major cities in South East and South South.
On Tuesday at the virtual ground-breaking ceremony for the Kano-Katsina-Jibiya-Maradi Rail Line, the President said the West-East Coastal rail line will connect Onitsha, Benin, Warri, Yenegoa, Port Harcourt, Aba and Uyo.
“Furthermore, the contract for the important Central Railway traversing Itakpe – Baro – Abuja with connection to Lokoja and a new seaport in Warri has been signed and is expected to achieve appreciable level of completion during the tenure of this administration,’’ the President said.
The Nigerian leader said his administration is determined to complete the construction of the Lagos-Kano rail line.
“We have in the rail sector embarked on the completion of the 1,424 Kilometer Lagos – Kano rail line to join the one being flagged-off today for the country’s Western axis.
“On the Eastern corridor of the country, the Port Harcourt – Enugu – Makurdi – Maiduguri rail line with branches to Owerri, Imo State and Damaturu, Yobe State, have been awarded for reconstruction to include a deep-sea port in Bonny Island and a Railway Industrial Park in Port Harcourt with the objectives of achieving a vibrant and functional railway,” he said.
In his remarks, the Governor of Katsina State, Aminu Bello Masari, appreciated the President for bringing the life-long dream of the state to reality with inclusion on the Kano-Maradi rail line.
Governor Masari, accompanied by the Governor of Kano, Abdullahi Ganduje and Jigawa, Badaru Abubakar, urged the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, to work towards completion and commissioning of the project by 2023.
The Minister of Transportation said the feasibility study for the Kano-Maradi railway started in 2012, and was concluded by 2015, thanking the President for support and regular intervention.
Dominica Nwabufo
