BEVERLY HILLS, August 25, (THEWILL) – he Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Ameachi, has disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari has approved a rail line from Kano to his hometown in Daura, Jibia local government areas of Katsina state.
Ameachi, speaking in Abuja, on Friday, at the Osasu Show Symposium, revealed that the President also approved rail lines from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri, Kano to Maiduguri, Makurdi to Jos, Gombe to Yobe to Borno, and Jigawa to Niger Republic.
“When we came, there was no rail contract connecting any of the seaports, and the President gave a directive for Lagos-Calabar to connect Port Harcourt seaport, Onne seaport, Calabar seaport, Warri seaport and either Apapa or Tincan seaport.
“He has approved the construction two new deep seaports, one in Bonny, and the Lekki deep seaport.
“General Electric (GE) came here and announced that they would give us 100 locomotives, we did the audit of our narrow gauge. Government said concession this narrow gauge, and we have successfully done that to the extent that we are able to sign an agreement with GE. By October GE will take over the narrow gauge and begin to run from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri.
“That station from Port Harcourt to Aba, Aba to Umuahia, Umuahia to Enugu, Enugu to Makurdi, Makurdi to Jos, Jos to Bauchi, Bauchi to Gombe, Gombe to Borno. When they stop at Umuahia, economic activities will be at Umuahia; the Umuahia station will become an economic hub. We the Ibos in Umuahia will be able to establish shops and sell goods we would like sell.
“The President has also approved another rail line from Kano to Daura to Jibia and we hope to connect Jigawa from there and to Niger Republic.”
Amaechi also revealed that GE and the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation Ltd (CCECC), will build universities of transportation in Nigeria because government is not only focusing on making the rail lines in Nigeria work, but also building capacity for Nigerians.
The Minister said the two major construction companies building the rails across Nigeria, will also build universities of transportation to train and empower Nigerians to build locomotives in about 10 to 15 years.
Amaechi said by the end of 2017, CCECC will be taking about 100 Nigerians to China to learn at undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD levels to return to Nigeria as faculty for the University of Transportation.
