Modupe Gbadeyanka
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The 326-kilometre Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri rail has commenced commercial operations after President Muhammadu Buhari commissioned it on Tuesday.
The rail passes through the Itakpe and Ajaokuta towns of Kogi State to Edo State and ends in Warri, Delta State.
At the event, which was done virtually, Mr Buhari said the facility will improve the economy of the country because it would ease the movement of goods and services.
He commended Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, and his team for the completion of the project, applauding the host communities on the rail corridor for their patience during the long wait of over 30 years for the realisation of the project.
He also commended the host communities for their cooperation during the completion works by the federal government.
He assured Nigerians that his administration would continue, within available resources, to judiciously connect commercial and industrial hubs to boost trade, generate wealth and create employment.
President Buhari 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.
“I have approved the prioritisation 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.
“This government has also approved to link this line further from Itakpe to Abuja, thereby, connecting the Northern Zone of the country and also extending southwards to link the Warri Ports,” he said.
“It will link people across the cultural divides and expand the frontier of trade and commerce, which will lead to better standards of living for our citizens,” the President added.
According to him, the project, which serves as a vital link of South-South geopolitical zones of the country to the Northern zones, would be completed before May 29, 2023.
