The necessity of FG’s linking Nigeria to Niger by rail — Opeifa
The necessity of FG’s linking Nigeria to Niger by rail — Opeifa
• Mobility is essential for food supply chain.
The Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, NRC, Kayode Opeifa, has said the Kano-Maradi Railway project was key to improving food security in Nigeria.
Opeifa, who stated this on Channels Television’s Sunrise programme weekend, said the rail connection between Nigeria and the Niger Republic was important because mobility could not be removed from the food supply chain as it was at the centre of food security.
“According to AU, African countries are encouraged to link with landlocked countries because there is potential in those countries.
‘’By the way, from the literature I’ve read, the food security for Nigeria and West Africa in cereal and livestock is tied to Maradi. So, you can see the reasoning linking Kano to Maradi.
“Beyond that, if you take mobility out of the equation, you won’t have food security. When you take mobility out of logistics and supply chain, you are just joking, and that’s what Nigerian managers of our food security should understand.
“Mobility is at the center of food security, and that’s what the Kano-Maradi, which will now be Kano to Kaduna, Kaduna to Abuja, Abuja to Lagos, will represent,” he added.
Opeifa, however, said government was committed to making sure major cities are connected through a new infrastructure map of rail.
He said there were plans by the federal government to introduce new rail lines across cities and noted that the rail system, having been moved to the concurrent list, has created opportunities for states to get grants to develop their rail lines.
‘’The government now decided to do a new infrastructure map of rail, and that is to make sure major cities are connected,” he added.
He said: “Now, the government is also aggressively pursuing the Kano-Maradi rail line, a lot of people don’t understand what that really is; what they hear is Maradi.”
The NRC MD also said locals were involved in protecting rail infrastructure.
