The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) says the South-East Development Commission (SEDC) will play a crucial role in the federal government’s vision to rehabilitate, expand and optimise the country’s railway infrastructure.

The managing director and chief executive officer of NRC, Dr Kayode Opeifa, said this during a working visit by the leadership of SEDC to the NRC headquarters on Wednesday in Lagos.

Mr Opeifa said the visit by the SEDC managing director, Mark Okoye, and its South-West director, Adejoke Adebayo-Chukwumah, underscored the priority attention the commission attached to rail development in the region.

He noted that the NRC had historically been at the heart of Nigeria’s economic growth, tracing it back to the colonial era when the first rail lines were built to facilitate trade and commerce.

Mr Opeifa said the government was prioritising the rehabilitation and expansion of narrow gauge railway networks to enhance mobility, reduce the cost of transporting goods, and improve economic productivity.

“While Nigeria developed 3,500 kilometres of rail lines in our first 60 years post independence, the Federal Government successfully constructed over 1,000 kilometres of new or refurbished rail lines in the past decade, marking a significant milestone in railway development.

“Revitalising the railway sector will lead to a significant reduction in the cost of goods, benefiting businesses and consumers alike.

“Rehabilitation of the eastern corridor railway line will restore connectivity between key cities in the southeast and other parts of the country,” he said.

On the raging concerns on vandalism especially on the Eastern corridor, he pointed out that the railway assets were still much in use and not scrap irons.

He said the NRC was actively working to repurpose outdated infrastructure and improve service delivery.

In his remarks, Mr Okoye outlined an ambitious roadmap to transform the region into Nigeria’s preferred investment destination by 2030.

He added that the commission was prioritising railway development across five states in the South-East.

“Our goal is to develop a seamless business climate across all five states in the region. We want consistency in ease of doing business policies, laws, and investment regulations to attract both domestic and international investors.

“The commission intends to establish an investment fund driven through an investment corporation to finance long-term projects, ensuring financial independence within a decade,” he said.

He said the collaboration with NRC would play a crucial role in the region’s master planning, which included multi-modal transportation systems, industrial clusters, and agro-processing zones.

Mr Okoye said successful models like Lagos State’s partnership with the NRC would serve as a blueprint for similar initiatives in the South-East.

Mr Okoye reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to fostering development partnerships and urged the NRC to consider SEDC as a key stakeholder in its future projects.

“We are here on a plucking mission to identify and maximise opportunities for regional growth,” he said.

(NAN)