Tosin Olatokunbo
President Muhammadu Buhari is commited to decongesting the Lagos ports, minister of transport, Rotimi Amaechi said in Lagos on Tuesday.
The administration has therefore approved the construction of two new seaports in Bonny Rivers and Warri, Delta state.
According to the minister, the ongoing rail project will now be expanded to link the south south with the north, as part of the government’s transportation master plan.
So far, the administration has concentrated more on the Lagos/ Kano corridor.
But on Tuesday in Lagos, Amaechi, disclosed that the rail line has now been expanded to cover Port Harcourt, Rivers state to Maiduguri, Borno state.
The expansion, the minister explained is part of the federal government’s plan to move 41m tones of good by rail in few years.
Amaechi said the government is looking for a way to deconjested the roads and make them last longer.
He said President Buhari is more committed to constructing the Port Harcourt/ Maiduguri railway corridor before he leaves office in 2023
“We will provide railway for Port Harcourt to Maiduguri, the President has assured me, he said, adding that “we are discussing and announcement would be made on the project soon.”
According to him “the president has also approved the construction of two new seaports.
One in Bonny and another in Warri. The first deep seaport we will have in Nigeria is already being built in Lekki.
There’s one being proposed by the Akwa Ibom State government. I think they call it Ibom Seaport.
I have told them to bring it and I will give them all the backing they need.”
He said “this government is by far more business friendly.
We would leave as much infrastructure for Nigeria.”
He said the government is doing this as a committment to boosting economic activities and enhancing trade.
By the time the rail projects are completed, the minister said, they will ease the movement of goods across the country.
“Nigerians are mostly particular about human transportation, how they can commute from Lagos to Ibadan daily, but the most important is actually for moving cargo to enhance productivity,” the minister said.
According to him the “Lagos to Kano rail is capable of moving 30 million tons of Cargo from Lagos to Kano, while Port Harcourt to Maiduguri can take 11 million tons of cargo.”
The government will also implement “policy to ensure that after building the railways, there are certain cargoes that will not be allowed on the roads, to encourage movement of cargo on the rail lines and to ensure that our roads last longer.
Moving cargo across the country through rail would be cheaper and faster than the roads,” Amaechi said.
