President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the completion of the Lagos-Kano railway project would be beneficial to the Niger Republic.

He said this at the inauguration of the commercial operations of the Lagos-Ibadan railway project, which took place on Thursday at the Mobolaji Johnson Railway Station, Ebute Metta, Lagos.

“The Lagos-Kano railway project, when completed, will link the Kano-Maradi line at Kano and a rail link from the Nigerian southern ports of Lagos to Maradi in the Niger Republic will be achieved.

“The connection through rail would position Nigerian ports as the choice for import and export business of the people of landlocked Niger Republic.

“This will be beneficial to the economy through employment from new business opportunities and wealth creation,” the president said.

Meanwhile, the president described the Lagos-Ibadan railway as another milestone in the revival of Nigeria’s railway.

He pledged that his administration would continue to prioritise the railway system as the backbone of transportation that could transform industrial and economic activities in the country.

“In clear recognition of the challenges posed to our economic growth by the absence of strong and effective infrastructure, we have embarked on the completion of the outstanding segment of the Lagos-Kano railway, which is the Ibadan-Kano line.

He expressed delight that his directive to the Federal Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Finance on reaching financial agreements with appropriate co-financiers to partner with the federal government for the development of the Ibadan-Kano railway was yielding results.

He noted that the Ibadan-Kano project would have a connection to the Tin Can Island Port and the West-East Coastal rail line from Lagos to Calabar linking Onitsha, Benin, Warri, Yenagoa, Port Harcourt, Aba and Uyo.

“From the beginning of this administration, railway infrastructure development has been given the priority it deserves.

“Various milestones have been reached, right from when the Abuja-Kaduna railway was flagged off for commercial operation in 2016 to this Lagos-Ibadan railway project being commissioned today for full commercial operation,” Mr Buhari said.

Shortly after he inaugurated the project, Mr Buhari took a ride from Ebute Metta Station to Energy Nature Light (ENL), Terminal, Apapa Port, Lagos.

(NAN)