FG to extend railway line from Itakpe to Abuja

President Muhmmadu Buhari has disclosed that the Warri to central Ajaokuta standard gauge railway would be extended from Itakpe to Abuja, and from Warri town to Warri port.

The President made this disclosure during his recent national broadcast in commemoration of 2020 celebration of Democracy Day marking 21 years of uninterrupted civil administration in the country.

Buhari also promised to extend and upgrade railway network with the introduction of more locomotives, coaches and wagons for the Abuja- Kaduna rail line.

While reiterating that the Central Ajaokuta -Itakpe Warri Line has been completed, he said the Lagos-lbadan rail line is 90 percent completed and would be extended to Lagos –Port, which would help address the long-standing grid-lock at the Apapa port.

According to him, the Kano-Maradi Single Track Standard Gauge Railway Coastal Rail Project and Port Harcourt- Maiduguri Standard Gauge Railway, with its associated branch lines running through the South Eastern and Gombe States, industrial park and Bonny Deep Sea Port are all ready for concessioning.

Talking about economic diversification strategy, the President stated that agriculture remains the key, noting that the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative programme will continue to deliver significant quantities of affordable and high-quality fertilizers to farmers.

Buhari said the initiative has also revived 31 blending plants and created a significant number of direct and indirect jobs across the value chain.

He further stated that his government is also revamping the cotton, textile and garment sector through a CBN Textile Revival Intervention Fund that would considerably reduce foreign exchange spent on cotton and other textile imports.