NAN-H-46
Rail
By Kazeem Akande,
Lagos, Jan. 23, 2017 (NAN) Mr Obiora Madu, the Director General, African Centre for Supply Chain, on Monday urged the Federal Government to speed up its strategic rail vision to facilitate economic growth.
Madu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the vision (change from narrow to standard gauge) of the international standard when completed would facilitate economic growth.
The director-general is also a member of Governing Council of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
According to him, the development will strengthen the curves and gradients of the existing narrow gauge and professionalise the management structure.
“Government needs to revisit the 25 year strategic rail vision for Nigerian by changing them from narrow to standard gauge.
“The plan will strengthen the curves and gradients of the existing narrow gauge and professionalise the management structure.
“The development will even have positive impact on the economy and improve the standard of living of the people,’’ he said.
Madu said the main constraint of effective infrastructural assets management in the Nigerian Railway Corporation remains inadequate funding by the government.
He said that the problems of Nigerian railways were many including insufficient locomotives, rolling stock, poor working capital, obsolete signaling and communication equipment.
According to him, narrow gauge, poor financial and managerial support base and lack of political will also serves as challenges in the system.
Madu urged the government to invest more in the railways, saying huge market was out there in the rail system untapped.
He said that improved infrastructures in seaports, roads, rails and airports and a more diversified economy would advance the economy.
“Either by air, sea, road or rail, the transport and logistics sector is at the centre of nearly all economic activity.
“People travelling across the country for business, letters delivered from companies to clients, food coming by road from agricultural regions to city centres.
“Cement transported by rail, people going to work by ferries, someone taking an intra-city taxi; these and many more are examples of how this crucial sector affects our daily lives more than we can imagine,’’ Madu said.
NAN reports that Federal Government had expressed its readiness to concession railway facilities on completion to capable private concerns in a bid to boost Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).
Federal Executive Council (FEC) had also approved the plan by the Ministry of Transportation to concession the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri and Lagos-Kano rail lines to General Electric (GE), a United States corporate giant.
According to FEC, the projects when completed will facilitate economic development in Nigerians. (NAN)
AKA/ANU/AOM/AFA
Edited by Abdullahi Mohammed/Felix Ajide