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Reps panel wants govt to revive rail transport

By Terhemba Daka Abuja
21 January 2015   |   8:53 pm
THE House of Representatives Committee on Land Transport has bemoaned the decay in the rail transport system in the country and called for urgent intervention to resuscitate the sector. It stressed the need for President Goodluck Jonathan to immediately address in an in-depth form, the challenges and prospects of the Nigerian Railway system so as…

THE House of Representatives Committee on Land Transport has bemoaned the decay in the rail transport system in the country and called for urgent intervention to resuscitate the sector.

It stressed the need for President Goodluck Jonathan to immediately address in an in-depth form, the challenges and prospects of the Nigerian Railway system so as to proffer the way forward in the sector.

Speaking at a national conference aimed at reviving the sector in Abuja yesterday, Chairman of the Committee, Musa Sarkin-Adar decried the current status of the rail system in the country and said the recent government intervention in the sector was a far cry considering the level of infrastructural development in the rail transport system in Nigeria.

Represented by the Deputy Chairman of the committee, Sekonte Davies, Sarkin- Adar said “where we are today in our quest for rail development must never be considered a destination but rather a stepping stone for the actualization of the Nigeria of our dream with a world-class rail transport system.”

He expressed the readiness of the National Assembly to provide the legislative enablement that would facilitate the resuscitation of the sector, but lamented that the parliament can only make but little impact without the support of stakeholders.

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Nigerian Railway Corporation, Adeseyi Sijuade attributed the rot in the rail transport sector to neglect by past leaders in the country.

“This is a sector that has been neglected for decades whereby all the tracks have been completely washed away.

Sijuade assured that the Federal Government was making conscious efforts aimed at resuscitating the Nigeria railway so as to make sure the system is on course particularly in terms of repositioning.

“We are rehabilitating our narrow guage and standard gauge structures like the western line from Lagos to Kano and the eastern line from Port Harcourt to Gombe. 

 

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