President Muhammadu Buhari transportation development plans will open the vitsa of opportunities to Nigerians and serve as the bedrock to unlocking the country’s economic potentials, Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi has said.
According to him, the administration’s idea of linking different transportation infrastructure such as rails to seaports and roads will no doubt speed up the economy of the citizens and the country upwards.
Amaechi spoke when he delivered the ‘Founders Day’ lecture at the University of Port Harcourt titled: ‘The role of Transportation in nation building.’
He said transportation is about logistics. The duty of transportation is to contribute to the different spheres of economic development. Its absence will cripple an economy and dwarf human and economic development.
“Transportation in Nigeria is a means of economic and political growth in the development of Nigeria. The impact is felt in tourism, real estate development, agriculture and others. Transportation currently contributes about 3 percent of the gross domestic product according to the Nigerian Bureau for statistics”, he said.
Historically, the Minister explained the importance of linking different transportation modes, stating that by 1916, the Port Harcourt port had been connected to the Coal mines in Enugu, with the objective of evacuating coal to Britain.
Outlining the work being done in connecting the country for ease of transportation of products, goods and people, Amaechi said the Eastern rail line would be connected to the Western line via Karfanchan, while the Warri-Itakpe line would be connected to the same line via Abuja and onwards to Kaduna-Kano.
“The Port Harcourt to Maiduguri rail line was extended to Bonny, on the way to Bonny, it’ll pass through the Ogoni axis and terminate at Onne Seaport; then from Port Harcourt to Owerri, it’ll pass through Ubima with a connecting line to the Western line at Karfanchan. The Port Harcourt-Maiduguri line is also extended to Damaturu and Gashua in Yobe State. What makes this line unique, is that you’ll have a University and an Industrial Park in Rivers State.
“Hopefully the segment from Ibadan to Kano will commence this year”, he added.
For Seaports, Amaechi said, “you can’t have an efficient transportation system without seaports. You must end at the seaports for importation of goods or export to boost your economy. For this reason, President Buhari has approved the construction of three major seaports. The first one is Lekki deep seaport. It’s under construction and will be completed in 2022.
