Njiko Igbo Forum, an affiliate of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to approve the commencement of repair work on abandoned eastern railways.

The group said the railways, if repaired, would thrive economic activities and increase the transport system in the region, especially the movement of goods from South-South and South-East to northern parts of Nigeria.

In a statement on Saturday, Okechukwu Obioha, the forum’s president, said there is no equity, justice and fairness or amount of the palliative FG could extend to the South-East zone that can assuage, support or compensate them enough as long as the eastern corridors of the railways remained abandoned.

The statement noted that from the days of the Sure-P of the Olusegun Obasanjo-led administration to the Buhari-led government, all other rail lines and even new ones were constructed and became operational.

He said these exempted the South-East running from Port Harcourt to Enugu and Markurdi to Maiduguri.

The statement said due to the condition of the railway lines, some criminals were now pulling off the railway sleepers all through the corridors, leaving no sign of any trace of a former rail line.

Mr Obioha added that grasses and trees had taken over the rail lines.

“So we are appealing to President Tinubu to come to the aid of people of the zone as the railway corridors needed urgent attention,” he said.

(NAN)