Lagos-Kano railway to open Nigeria to exports from Niger

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)
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette

Agriculture
FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Health
Malnutrition: Red Cross urges northern govs to declare state of emergency in health sector
Aminu Abdullahi, the acting director of healthcare at NRCS, stated that malnutrition remained one of the most underreported health issues in the country.

Education
Bill to establish varsity of science in Gombe scales second reading
Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau commended the sponsor of the bill on his passion for the educational development of Gombe State and the North-East in general.

Politics
2027: Opposition coalition in Gombe adopts ADC
Idris Umar, a former Minister of Transportation, said the coalition aimed to rescue Gombe from hardship.

Economy
Dangote Refinery reduces ex-depot price of fuel to N820 per litre
It would be recalled that the company last week reduced its ex-depot price from N880 to N840 per litre.

NationWide
FG launches passport front office for senior public officials
Mr Tunji-Ojo said the office has a specialised facility designated to facilitate a timely and seamless passport process.

Kano
EFCC quizzes man over undeclared $420,900, £5,825, CFA3.95 million cash
Mr Oyewale said the suspects would be charged to court as soon as the investigation was concluded.