FGN INAUGURATES 326KM ITAKPE- AJAOKUTA-WARRI RAIL FOR COMMERCIAL OPERATION ….Directs linking of Railway to all Sea Ports
Virginia Agada
The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN), on Tuesday inaugurated the 326 KM Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri rail line for commercial operation as well as the ancillary facilities yard.
The rehabilitation, completion and commissioning of the facility was done yesterday by President Muhammafu after 33 years of neglect, at the recently named Goodluck Jonathan Railway Complex in Agbor (Owa-Oyibu), Delta State, via a video link.
In his address, he directed the Federal Ministry of Transportation to link all the nation’s ports of origin and destination – Apapa, Tin Can, Warri, Onne, Calabar Ports- to the rail network in order to significantly improve overall transportation and economic capacities.
President Buhari declared that his administration recognised the importance of the railway mode of transportation as a vital backbone to support industrialization and economic development.
He said: ”Accordingly, I have approved the prioritization of viable railway routes for either new rail lines or the reconstruction and rehabilitation of some, to achieve effective and efficient train services supporting the country’s trade and commerce.
”The Railway Infrastructure that I have the honour to commission today is the rail line from Itakpe via the steel town complex of Ajaokuta to Warri and is an important link for the country’s economy as the central rail line.
