FG promises to expand rail transport infrastructure

The Minister of State for Transportation, Gbemisola Saraki, has said that the government is committed to reviving multimodal transport infrastructure in the bid to boost the economy.

Saraki, at the inauguration of the Transport Trade Group of Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), said the government would continue to expand railway lines and other mode of transportation to further ease movement of persons and goods.

The Minister, who was represented by the Assistant Director Rail Department, Ministry of Transportation, Ayodele Omole, said the government is focusing on bridging infrastructural deficit because no economy can grow sustainably without adequate infrastructure.

“Presently, Kaduna-Abuja, Lagos-Ibadan and Itakpe-Warri railways are completed and fully functioning, while the ground breaking of Kaduna-Kano Railway, Kano-Maradi and Itakpe-Baro-Abuja have taken place and work has commenced on these routes.”

While inaugurating Olawale Rasheed as Chairman of the Transport Trade Group, the President, ACCI, Dr. Al-Mujtaba Abubakar, recounted the good old days, noting that Nigeria has invested so much in the transport sector because that is the soul of the economy, adding that “we of the private sector are major partners of the government in this push to provide necessary trade and transport logistics for the economy to thrive.”

“I commend the Ministry of Transportation, Aviation, Works, Digital Economy and other Ministries and Agencies handling logistics and transport sectors of this country. We remain your partner in progress while calling on relevant MDAs to partner with the Chamber of commerce for investment opportunities in the transport and logistics value chain.

“Roads, Railways, Airports and Ports are strong economic facilitation platforms and we must develop the value chains along these sub-platforms, as a way of boosting our national economy.”

The newly inaugurated Chairman of the Trade Group, and a Council member of ACCI, said the group is planning programmes in railway conference, aviation mart and blue economy in the nearest future.

Source: The Guardian

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