Train service in Nigeria

Amaechi and officials of the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation

• FG signs $6.68b contract

Ademola Adegbamigbe

Indigines of Ekiti have received with eclat the news that their state capital, Ado Ekiti, would be linked by rail. The city and by extension, the state will be connected to the Lagos-Kano rail line. This was revealed by the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi in Abuja on Wednesday when he signed a $6.68 billion dollars contract agreement for the Ibadan-Kaduna segment with China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC).

How will that be? The minister revealed that the conection to Ado Ekiti will be with a single track branch line from Osogbo. Amaechi signed the contract on behalf of the Federal Government.

“This agreement is for the Ibadan-Kaduna rail line, which is part of the Lagos-Kano rail line, the completion time of the contract should be between two to three years, depending on availability of funds,” Amaechi said.

Amaechi promised that the ministry would “be able to provide its counterpart funding between 2018 and 2019 budget provision, stating that the contract was a fulfilment of Federal Government’s plan to complete the Lagos-Kano rail model.”

The rail linkage will enable indigenes of the state to come home more regularly and this is bound to increase development. Many of them will now start to develop country homes, businesses and they will be able to supervise them more effectively. The long, winding trip from Lagos and other big cities to Ekiti through dangerous roads makes it unappealing to many.

The Federal Government had almost finalised the proposal and the the rail network which excluded Ekiti when Senator Babafemi Ojudu intervened and Ekiti was included in the scheme.

Also, as the governorship election comes up on 14 July, this will be another campaign point for the All Progressives Congress.