By Fredrick Wright
The Federal Government has revealed that railway modernisation across the country was aimed at stimulating the nation’s economy, and to favour an ethnic tribe against another.
The Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, who disclosed this at the annual public lecture of the Department of Economics of the University of Lagos said politicising of railway development is one of the major challenges facing the country in the government’s effort to stimulate the economy.
He said ethnicity was a big challenge to development in Nigeria, noting that rail projects around the country were built with the economy at the heart of it.
Amaechi further explained that the economy should be the deciding factor for such developments, not ethnic biases.
Amaechi who was speaking as the guest lecturer, at the annual Public lecture of the Department of Economics at the University of Lagos on Friday said Transportation as a mode involves logistics, and also responsible for driving the economy of nations.
He said that virtually everything involves transportation, adding that it was a key element in driving development of economies all over the world.
The minister said that transportation had created possibilities for other sectors. Therefore, one could not even create employment without creating logistics.
“Nigerians are too ethnically conscious. You think first as your ethnicity before you think as a Nigerian.
“We have very few Nigerians, and ethnicity is putting pressure on the economics of railway construction. What you hear is, ‘I’m a Yoruba man, I’m an Hausa man, I’m an Igbo man..
“The Yoruba man is happy that we have done Lagos-Ibadan; the moment you do railway up to Enugu, the Igbo man would be happy. I call it the politicisation of railway construction.
“Railway is fuelled by economic activities, it’s not fuelled by tribe. What determines a railway construction is economics, how many tons of cargo can be conveyed.
“Ethnicity is not the way to go. Those who fan the embers of ethnicity are those who were benefitting from the government in the past, but are no longer benefitting from the government,” he said
Amaechi also said that financing is another challenge to railway development as Nigerians keep complaining about loans.
“From the budget we are now constructing Kaduna-Kano rail line while still negotiating the loan for Ibadan to Kaduna, because the plan is Lagos to Kano.
So far, the Federal Government has laid out plans for the construction of Lagos-Calabar at $11.1 billion, Ibadan-Kano at $5.3 billion for single track, Port Harcourt-Maiduguri at $3.02 billion for reconstruction of narrow gauge.
“A total of $12 to $13 billion is planed for standard gauge approved by the President with additional spurs, Abuja-Itakpe at $3.9 billion in addition to the central line; and Lagos-Ibadan completed at $2 billion,” Amaechi said.
Unilag Vice Chancellor, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, said that efficient transportation would provide access to business and competitiveness in the region.
Ogundipe, who was represented by Prof. Oluwole Familoni, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), said: “When transport systems are efficient, they provide economic and social opportunities and benefits that result in positive multiplier effects such as better accessibility to market, employment, and additional investment.
“Availability of railway also plays an important role in reducing regional disparities and improving the competitiveness of region, by facilitating, trade movement of labour, and economies of scale.
“In vast country like ours, where the population are not only scattered all over the country but are also separated by desert, forest, valley and mountains efficient, reliable and cheep means of transportation like modern railway network are essential,” Ogundipe said.
The Dean, Faculty of Social Science, Prof. Olufunmilayo Bammeke, said that the ongoing modernisation of railway system would not only revitalize the mode of transportation but also invariably impact economic development in Nigeria.
“Although skepticism was high as President Buhari opened Nigeria’s first standard gauge railway
modernisation project in 2016, now it has become clear that the government is committed not just to the revitalisation of the rail but to maintaining high international standards.
“From Abuja to Kaduna, Lagos to Ibadan and Warri to Itakpe, it has been stories of excitement, success and of course, challenges.
“There are more to come from what we have heard from the media, Kaduna to Kano, Ibadan to Kano, Lagos to Calabar among others.,” Bammeke said.
