By Gift Olivia Samuel, The Sight News
PORT HARCOURT: President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, March 9, 2021, said that the Port Harcourt – Maiduguri railway will translate to reactivation of economic activities along the Eastern corridor, which has been greatly affected by insurgent activities and serve as a stimulus for industry and trade.
The President said this at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of Port Harcourt – Maiduguri Eastern Narrow Gauge Railway Project, Construction of the new Bonny Deep Sea Port and Railway Industrial Park, Port Harcourt.
Buhari who joined the ceremony virtually, noted that these projects will serve transportation and supply chain networks for domestic needs and export, as well as support imports into the hinterland of the country through the new deep sea port in Bonny Island, Rivers State.
Economic Viability
The connection of the railway to a new seaport in Bonny Island and Railway Industrial Park, Port Harcourt, he said, is designed to increase the viability and boost transshipment of cargo and freight locally, across the West African sub-region and in the Continental Free Trade Area.
According to him, “This groundbreaking ceremony marks the commencement of the implementation of another important national infrastructure which consists of three projects: First, the Port Harcourt to Maiduguri narrow gauge railway reconstruction project with new branch lines to Owerri, Imo State and Damaturu, Yobe State. The project is with the objective of resuscitating the once vibrant railway transportation in the Eastern railway corridor of the country, Port Harcourt – Maiduguri.
“We are further expanding it to achieve contemporary demand for transport in the North East and Southern geopolitical zones of the country. It is also designed to link other standard gauge rail lines under construction through the provision of transshipment centers.
“The second and the third projects are the Bonny deep sea port and a Railway Industrial Park, Port Harcourt that are to be constructed through direct investments by our Chinese partners and international financing agencies”, he said.
While stating that this improved port is designed to be a regional and international transport hub, he added that in line with the global trends, the Railway Industrial Park will have the capability for processing exports of raw materials with value addition and also export of locally made goods.
Buhari disclosed that prudent use of resources has been given priority, as by this endeavor, Nigeria will retrieve the old narrow gauge that has been lying in neglect for years and bring it to full functional state commensurate to a National railway service at a rational price.
He urged all Nigerians especially industrialists, manufacturers and businesses within the zones to take maximum advantage of the infrastructure in planning for expansion and building new factories to join in raising Nigeria’s economy to the global stage and reaffirm our leading role in Africa.
For his part, the Minister of Transportation, Hon. Chibuike Amaechi, said the effort of the Government at rehabilitation of this rail line in 2009 – 2012, did not achieve the desired outcome, partly due to inadequate funding and incompetence of some of the Contractors employed, leaving the railway unserviceable.
The Eastern narrow gauge railway he said, is one of the transport infrastructure established in the pre-independence period and played significant role in the development of agriculture and industrial sectors in the colonial era and immediate post-independence year up till 1985, when it became unfit for purpose as a result of the general neglect and divestment suffered by the Nigerian railways.
Project Funding
Amaechi noted that while the railway project is to be co-financed by loan from a syndicate of Chinese financiers with Federal Government contribution of 15% project cost, the Bonny Deepsea port and Railway Industrial park, Port Harcourt are being developed through direct investment by the conglomerate led Messrs CCECC Nigeria Limited with a total investment portfolio of US$700Million.
He attributed the investment gain to the unrelenting effort of the Ministry.
Completion
The Minister revealed that upon completion, trains on the Port Harcourt – Maiduguri Eastern Narrow Gauge Railway will run at 60 – 80 kilometers per hour Kph and 80 –100 kilometers per hour Kph for freight and passenger respectively.
“The Bonny Deepsea port has a container terminal of 500,000 TEU (20 foot equivalent unit) per annum capacity and 100,000 DWT (Deadweight tonnage) Berth.
“The Railway Industrial park, Port Harcourt would be supported by necessary infrastructure (Power, Water, Waste Disposal, ICT, Gas distribution) as well as transportation, logistics centers and ancillaries”, he said.
The Minister added that the Ministry remains committed to the President’s vision for a strong and sustainable railway transportation backbone to engender and facilitate a new path to positive economic transformation of the country.
“The Federal Ministry of Transportation is working in line with Mr. President’s directives, to implement the Nigeria Railway Modernization project and progressively expand the railway network.
“In this regard, the rail line connection from Enugu to Awka – Onitsha and Abakaliki is undergoing necessary Feasibility Studies and preparation of conceptual design”, he said.
In his remarks, the Managing Director CCECC, Mr Michael Yigao, said the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri line is an important segment of the railway network in Nigeria.
He stated that the line, with a total length of approximately 2,044.1 kilometers, runs across 12 states from the oil rich South South to the South East, North Central and North East, adding that it will bring social economic benefit to the region and the country at large.
