By Steve Agbota  

President Muhammadu Buhari, is set to commission the newly constructed Lagos-Ibadan rail line in January 2021. 

Minister of Transportation,  Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, disclosed this in Abuja during the inauguration of newly elected members of the Chartered Institute of Transport Administration of Nigeria (CIoTA). Amaechi said Buhari as a committed reformer is determined to change the face of transportation in the country.

Speaking at the occasion, CIoTA President, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, told the minister, that the transport sector was moving into a new era of professionalism that will usher in excellence across the various modes. 

Amaechi said the rail project had been delivered, but its usage would commence before the official commissioning, adding that he had approved the fares for the route.

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 According to him: “I just got the mandate from President Buhari that he would commission the Lagos-Ibadan railway in January 2021. However, they should have been operating even before that time. 

“I also have approved the cost of transportation by rail from Lagos to Ibadan. We just transferred the cost, as that of Kaduna, which we think is quite fair.”

Amaechi stated that the Buhari administration was committed to reviving and improving the entire transport infrastructure in the country, stressing there were already many visible changes, especially in the aviation and maritime subsectors of the transportation industry. 

The minister stated: “In the transport sector under this government, a lot is going on, like working to complete the terminals under aviation. I am sure you would have seen changes at the Port Harcourt airport and Abuja. I am sure the Minister of Aviation will tell us very soon when the airport in Kano and the one in Lagos would be completed.”

While commending the activities of CIoTA under the leadership of Dr. Jamoh, Amaechi stated that the Federal Ministry of Transportation would partner with the Institute to encourage professionalism in the transport sector as well as ensure seamless and effective transportation across all modes.