President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday in Abuja directed the Ministries of
\nTransportation and Finance to conclude financial arrangements with
\nappropriate co-financiers that will partner with the Federal Government
\nf0r construction of West-East Coastal rail line from Lagos to Calabar,
\nlinking some major cities in South East and South South.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the virtual groundbreaking ceremony for the
\nKano-Katsina-Jibiya-Maradi Rail Line, the President said the West-East
\nCoastal rail line will connect Onitsha, Benin, Warri, Yenegoa, Port
\nHarcourt, Aba and Uyo.<\/p>\n
“Furthermore, the contract for the important Central Railway traversing
\nItakpe – Baro \u2013 Abuja with connection to Lokoja and a new seaport in
\nWarri has been signed and is expected to achieve appreciable level of
\ncompletion during the tenure of this administration,” the President
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
President Buhari noted that the cities of Jibiya and Maradi constitute a
\nsignificant trading core between Nigeria and Niger Republic \u2013 a
\ntradition dating back many centuries.<\/p>\n
“This vital infrastructure line will establish an end-to-end logistic
\nsupply chain in railway transport services between Northern and Southern
\nregions of the country, reaching Nigerian southern ports of Lagos and
\nWarri.<\/p>\n
“The entire route encompasses territory inhabited by close to 80 million
\npeople across 10 states of the country. This project has a branch line
\nto Dutse the capital of Jigawa State to open up this corridor which is
\nendowed with vast resources.”<\/p>\n
He said the Kano\u2013Maradi rail line has been identified as a viable line
\nthat will significantly enhance the movement of passengers and freight
\nto the hinterland especially raw materials from both agricultural and
\nmineral resources for our industries.<\/p>\n
“The rail line traverses the major commercial and administrative centre
\nof Kano and passing through other economic hubs of the country including
\nKazaure, Daura, Katsina and up to the border town of Jibiya and the
\nNiger Republic city of Maradi., ” the President stated.<\/p>\n
He said Kano-Maradi project, when completed, would serve import and
\nexport of goods for Niger Republic and other countries in the sub-region
\nthrough Nigerian ports.<\/p>\n
“The country would earn revenue through expansion of trade and commerce,
\nwhile the people of Niger Republic will benefit from ease of
\ntransportation logistics at affordable cost in their import and export
\nbusiness.<\/p>\n
“The connection to Niger Republic through rail will also foster
\nTrans-Sahara trade and contribute to the expected gains in the African
\nContinental Free Trade Area Agreement.”<\/p>\n
President Buhari commended the construction company handling the
\nproject, Messrs Mota-Engil Nigeria Limited, for supporting knowledge and
\ntechnology transfer by investing in the establishment of a learning
\nInstitution for Transportation and Railway Science.<\/p>\n
“We have in the rail sector embarked on the completion of the 1,424
\nKilometer Lagos \u2013 Kano rail line to join the one being flagged-off today
\nfor the country’s Western axis.<\/p>\n
“On the Eastern corridor of the country, the Port Harcourt \u2013 Enugu \u2013
\nMakurdi \u2013 Maiduguri rail line with branches to Owerri, Imo State and
\nDamaturu, Yobe State, have been awarded for reconstruction to include a
\ndeep sea port in Bonny Island and a Railway Industrial Park in Port
\nHarcourt with the objectives of achieving a vibrant and functional
\nrailway.”<\/p>\n
In his remarks, the Governor of Katsina State, Aminu Bello Masari,
\nappreciated the President for bringing the life-long dream of the state
\nto reality with inclusion on the Kano-Maradi rail line.<\/p>\n
Governor Masari, accompanied by the Governor of Kano, Abdullahi Ganduje
\nand Jigawa, Badaru Abubakar, urged the Minister of Transportation,
\nRotimi Amaechi, to work towards completion and commissioning of the
\nproject by 2023.<\/p>\n
The Minister of Transportation said the feasibility study for the
\nKano-Maradi railway started in 2012, and was concluded by 2015, thanking
\nthe President for support and regular intervention.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday in Abuja directed the Ministries of Transportation and Finance to conclude financial arrangements with appropriate co-financiers that will partner with the Federal Government f0r construction of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":78305,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-78304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n