A group under the aegis of The Thursday Group (TTG) has petitioned the Ogun State House of Assembly over the gederal Government diversion of the proposed Calabar-Lagos rail line.
The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi had during the during the launch of Gateway Bus Transit at Abeokuta, Ogun State Capital, stated that the accredited routes and stations in the State has been redirected from Ore in Ondo State and is now to terminate at Lekki Free Trade Zone.
The Convener of the group, Akogun Kola Onadipe, in a petition to the Assembly, faulted the claim of the Minister declared that the implication of this diversion was absolutely grave and against the interest of Ogun state economy.
“Some weeks ago during the launch of Gateway Bus Transit in Abeokuta, the Minister of Transport-Mr Rotimi Amaechi, who incidentally has now declare interest to seek electoral votes of Nigerians, to become the next President come Feb 2023, and who was a special Guest of Honour at the event, surprisingly and publicly revealed that the proposed Calabar-Lagos Rail line, with accredited route and stations, designed/approved by the Federal Executive Council-FEC, to pass through major cities in Ogun State, have been redirected from Ore (Ondo State) to now terminate at Lekki Free Trade Zone, presumably to accommodate the Dangote Refinery heavy product cargo transportation.
“Surprisingly and perhaps ignorantly, everybody seated as participants at the Gateway Bus launch, clapped for the Minister. The implication of this diversion however is absolutely grave and surely against the interest of Ogun state economy, considering the ongoing public and private investments that have already commenced on the Ogun Agro-Cargo Airport which hitherto has a train station at Iperu and the new dual carriage Ijebuode-Epe recently commissioned by PMB, which was executed in advance to take secondary cargo from Lekki to the rail station earlier designed at Ijebu-Ode-Ilese’. Onadipe argued.
