It is highly desirable. Get it right. This is no brainwave. It’s not out of the blues, neither is it from the moon. It is well thought out.
It’s simply thinking out of the box. Nigeria-Benin Republic rail line is it! It is most desirable now.
We cannot deny it. The two countries have some form of relationship with us. Yes, remotely or otherwise. They can’t be totally isolated from Nigeria.
Even in name, they share similarities and affinity with Nigeria. With Niger Republic, we have our Niger State in the North-Central. With Benin Republic, we also have our Benin City, Edo State, in the South-South.
Now, we have moved a step further. We have started exploiting and building on this relationship. The Kano-Maradi rail track to Niger Republic suits this bill.
However, Benin Republic is acutely lagging behind. And this is a big gap, a very huge loophole. It is in dire need of our honest attention. We need to be sincere with ourselves.
This fall-back must not be allowed to degenerate. It has to be filled up fast. After all, what is good for the goose is equally good for the gander.
Just like Niger Republic, Benin Republic needs to be connected with a rail link. The best time to make it happen is now. How do I mean? Simple! It’s logical, practical and sensible too.
Yes! As it is with the Kano-Maradi railway, so be it with Nigeria-Benin Republic rail line. Its interconnectivity is feasible.
Ogun State is the natural connecting point for the project. Its international border town of Idi-Iroko provides the enabling environment. That explains its appellation as “Gateway State.” It is not just a label. Perhaps, it is for a time like this.
The interconnectivity of this project is made ready. It’s already in existence, there for the taking. The Yemi Osinbajo (Kajola Railway Station) terminal in Ogun State provides the needed link. It is quite appropriate.
That is where to rail connect Nigeria with Benin Republic. It is made easy. The facility is on ground. With little or no effort, the rail is internally connected. Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, will also be brought into the picture.
This is a window of rail network interconnectivity. It cuts across Nigeria through Lagos-Ibadan-Kano-Maradi rail network in Niger Republic.
Lagos and Kano remain Nigeria’s foremost undisputable commercial nerve cities. That is given. This makes the interconnectivity viable.
Recouping the huge investment will pose no headache. It won’t give anybody sleepless nights or nightmares. The expected volume of trade is more than sufficient to pay back, given the present level of commercial activities.
For sure, this Nigeria-Benin Republic rail project is expedient for the very obvious reasons. It will reduce carbon emissions on our roads.
The network is across the length and breadth of the country. This perfectly aligns with a major objective of climate change. It is a big boost.
It will bring a relief to our roads. And the lifespan of the roads will be prolonged in the process. A good side effect is the reduction in the cost of road maintenance.
This is particularly true of those leading to border towns. The most pronounced are the roads in the South West, Middle Belt and North West.
Unhindered free flow of goods and services between Nigeria and other countries in the ECOWAS region is also guaranteed. We have had unnecessary inhibitions to contend with in the ECOWAS region. The proposed rail line seals that. It erases all those obstacles.
There are unwanted and man-made barriers and hurdles. They come in the guise of security checkpoints. And they dot towns and roads leading to the border areas. Fear not. Those barricades are gone with rail proposal.
Over the years, these embarrassments have made the objective of ECOWAS difficult to achieve. The rail project will permanently put these behind us. Then we can surge ahead without further impediments.
This project is a life-long investment in infrastructure. It will enhance and boost trade in the ECOWAS region. It is an innovation that is worth trying.
The rail project will complete the accomplishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) objective. AfCFTA is one major window to the ECOWAS region. Nigeria accounts for 65 per cent of GDP in the region.
ECOWAS has 15 countries in its kitty. The roll call looks like this: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, The Gambia and Togo.
Its total population is in the region of 387 million, with the annual GDP of $687.66 billion. Out of this, Nigeria’s GDP accounts for $448.16 billion. That throws up the urgency and appropriateness of the Nigeria-Benin Republic railway.
This rail track is doable, workable, attainable, accomplishable and realisable. It is even more expedient than ever before.
In the past, we have witnessed incessant fatal clashes in the border communities. They occurred so frequently between security agencies and residents.
Lives were wasted. Properties were vandalised and destroyed. The casualties were usually heavy. These border communities will be spared all these losses.
Now, this is the project to save the lives of people living in the border communities. The rail track is the lasting solution. It will bring back law and order to the communities, shutting the door against those frequent clashes.
However, the projects cannot be floated without the basics. They are key to its successful take-off. What is worth doing at all is certainly worth doing very well.
For quality results, there are issues to trash and thrash. And they must be handled with the greatest dexterity. They are vital. They can mar or make the project. They are critically critical.
They include but not limited to Memorandum of Understanding (MoU); feasibility studies; costs; finance; timelines; approvals/agencies; land clearing/allocation and environmental impact assessment.
We dare not take them for granted. They could lead to monumental disaster. They deserve all the seriousness and attention we can muster. They have to be put in proper place.
With the issues settled and ironed out, we are good to rail. Nigeria-Benin Republic rail track is the ride of the moment. So? Let it be even now!