By Adeyinka Aderibigbe
The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), may resume resume the suspended livestock rail services from the northern region to the southern parts of the country by September this year.
The NRC Managing Director, Fidet Okhiria, who disclosed this on a Channels Television programme on Wednesday, said that the transportation of cows and goods would recommence via the Warri-Itakpe route.
The NRC halted cattle transportation by train in 2017, due to technical issues. The corporation operated the livestock service for about three months before it was suspended for technical reasons. The service saw the movement of cows, rams, sheeps and goats from Kano to Lagos on the Narrow Gauge.
Recall that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had on Tuesday, announced the establishment of the ministry of livestock development.
The President also inaugurated the Renewed Hope Livestock Reform Implementation Committee (RHLRIC), at the State House, Abuja.
But Okhiria said, the Warri-Itakpe train service will resume cattle transportation within the next two months, enabling herders to move their livestock from the north-central region (Itakpe, Kogi State) to the southern region (Warri, Delta State).
He said that the NRC is modernizing cargo transportation in Nigeria.
Okhiria disclosed that specialised wagons exclusively for transporting livestock are currently being assembled at the Kajola Wagon Assembly Plant (KWAP), in Ogun State.
“We’ve built 15 wagons for livestock, and in the next month or two, they would be deployed from Itakpe to Warri to drive the economy,” he stated.
He emphasised that investments in railways must prioritise the social and economic well-being of the people, rather than solely focusing on generating profits.
“You are not developing transportation because you want to make profit, though the profit will come indirectly if we can move goods and link cities,” he said.
He noted that while the benefits may not accrue directly to the government, the indirect earnings will still contribute to the overall growth and development of the economy.