President on Tuesday inaugurated the 326 Km Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri rail line for commercial operation and ordered that it be extended to the northern and southern part of the country before he leaves office in 2023.
He also directed the Ministry of Transportation to get the nation’s seaports to be linked to the rail line, according to a statement by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, They are Apapa, Tin Can, Warri, Onne, and Calabar Ports.
“This government has also approved to link this line further from Itakpe to Abuja, thereby, connecting the Northern Zone of the country and also extending southwards to link the Warri Ports,” Adesina said.
“Accordingly, I have approved the prioritisation of viable railway routes for either new rail lines or the reconstruction and rehabilitation of some, to achieve effective and efficient train services supporting the country’s trade and commerce.
“The railway Infrastructure that I have the honour to commission today is the rail line from Itakpe via the steel town complex of Ajaokuta to Warri, and is an important link for the country’s economy as the central rail line.
Adesina’s statement was titled “After 30 years in limbo, President Buhari inaugurated 326Km Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri rail line for commercial operation.”
The rail line links the South-South geopolitical zone of the country with those in the Northern zones, and the President hoped that it would be completed before the end of his administration.
He noted that that the rail line will link people across the cultural divides and expand the frontier of trade and commerce, which will lead to better standards of living for our citizens.
