South-East governors urged to develop intra-regional rail line

From Fred Ezeh, Abuja

Governors of the South-East states have been urged to develop a modern rail line system that will connect the entire five states and major town in the region.

The suggestion was contained in a memo to the South-East Governors Forum by a Constitutional and Human Right Lawyer, Ikenna Ahumibe, and made available to journalists in Abuja, on Friday.

Ahumibe noted that the South-East geopolitical zone is uniquely positioned to demonstrate what visionary leadership and governance can achieve through cooperation, infrastructure investment and strategic planning.

He stated that an intra-regional railway line could be the greatest infrastructure gift the administrations could offer to the people of the Southeast, stressing that it would boost economic growth, facilitate seamless movement of goods and people, and most importantly enhance the distribution of agricultural produce from rural farming communities to urban markets across the region. 

He noted that beyond the economic gains, a regional rail system would serve as a strong deterrent to rising insecurity in the zone as it will connect towns and cities with safe reliable transport service, which will reduce dependence on “unsafe” road travel, and open up economic opportunities that discourage criminality and youth restiveness.

He proposed that South East Governors Forum should urgently convene a technical committee of engineers, legal experts, economist and urban planners to conduct a feasibility study and develop a financing framework possibly through counterpart funding, public-private partnerships (PPP) and International Development Funds.

“At this critical time when monthly allocations from the federation account have increased significantly due to favorable oil receipts and improved remittances. The time to act is now.

“History will remember those who laid the foundation of future generations. This is a call not just to build railways but to build unity, prosperity and lasting security in the South-East,” he said.