Thread by @toluogunlesi

UPDATES:

1. Oyo Governor Abiola Ajimobi has approved C of O for the planned Inland Dry Port in Ibadan.

2. The new #LagosIbadanRail has now passed Kilometer 137 (somewhere in Omi Adio, on the outskirts of Ibadan). Will terminate at KM 158, which will be the Ibadan Dry Port.

These updates are from the Press Briefing by Minister of Transport Rotimi Amaechi, May 23, 2019:

The 6 ‘smaller’ Stations on #LagosIbadanRail should be ready by July 2019.

The 4 ‘Mega’ Stations: Apapa, Ebute Metta, Abeokuta and Ibadan will take longer to complete.

Rail Priorities for Next Level:

Complete #LagosIbadanRail

Extend Central Line from Itakpe to Abuja (with spur to Lokoja)

Commence #CoastalRail (#LagosCalabarRail), starting w/ PH to Warri (to join the Central Line at Warri) and Benin to Onitsha (to join Central Line at Agbor)

Amaechi on Nigeria’s Rail Infra Efforts: If those who had money did this work, we won’t be here today. We had money to do Lagos to Kano standard gauge under PDP. If we focused on infra when we had money Nigeria would be a very different place today.

Nigeria has awarded a $500m contract for supply of rolling stock (locomotives, carriages, wagons etc) for #LagosIbadanRail. Amaechi says he’s got the Chinese to agree to assemble only 15% in China, and remaining 85% LOCALLY. So they’ll be building a factory in Kajola, Ogun State.

Says he’s also got them to commit to building a Transport University in Nigeria, to train Nigerians. “We should be able to construct our own [rail] in 15-20 years.” — Rotimi Amaechi.

Also 150 young Nigerians will be trained in China. Undergrad degrees in Railway Engineering. First batch of ~70 already started. Remaining ~80 scheduled to leave Nigeria for China in September.

📷: PMB with some of the Nigerian students, Sept 2018, in Beijing, China