By Uzor Odigbo
President Muhammadu Buhari will commission the newly constructed Lagos-Ibadan rail line by January 2021.
Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja during the inauguration of recently elected members of the Chartered Institute of Transport Administration of Nigeria (CIoTA).
He also disclosed that he had approved the fares for the route.
According to him, “I just got the mandate from President Buhari that he would commission the Lagos-Ibadan railway in January 2021. However, they should have been operating even before that time.
“I also have approved the cost of transportation by rail from Lagos to Ibadan. We just transferred the cost, as that of Kaduna, which we think is quite fair.”
Amaechi stated that the Buhari administration was committed to reviving and improving the entire transport infrastructure in the country. He stressed that there were already many visible changes, especially in the aviation and maritime subsectors of the transportation industry.
“In the transport sector under this government, a lot is going on, like working to complete the terminals under aviation. I am sure you would have seen changes at the Port Harcourt airport and Abuja. I am sure the Minister of Aviation will tell us very soon when the airport in Kano and the one in Lagos would be completed.”
While commending the activities of CIoTA under the leadership of Dr. Bashir Jamoh, Amaechi stated that the Federal Ministry of Transportation would partner with the Institute to encourage professionalism in the transport sector as well as ensure seamless and effective transportation across all modes.
In his remarks earlier, Jamoh, who is also the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), lauded the effort of the Federal Government to upgrade the transport infrastructure. He said CIoTA was promoting professionalism and training to aid the government with the right manpower to man the transport infrastructure.
The CIoTA President stated, “Nigeria has made significant investment in transportation.
“The journey for the Institute has begun. We are building on broad policies anchored on a tripod of professionalism; education, research and development; and advocacy.”
The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) Managing Director Engr Fidet Okhiria, however, said the corporation will begin commercial operation on the Lagos-Ibadan speed train corridor on Monday.
On the fares to be charged, Amaechi said: “Today, I approved the charges on passengers from Lagos to Ibadan; we just transfer how we charged from Abuja to Kaduna.
“We charge N3,000 per Economy seat, N5,000 for Business class and N6, 000 for First class, the same is applicable from Lagos to Ibadan.
“It should have started running by now before Mr. President inaugurates it by January.”
