By Kayode Araba
This was raised by senator Victor Umeh representing Anambra Central senatorial district during the press chart with news men in National Assembly complex with co-sponsors of 16 senators.
Senator Victor Umeh noted that the eastern rail line which serves 4 Geopolitical Zones of South South, South East North Central and North East, runs from port Hacourt, through Enugu, Markurdi, Jos, Bauchi and Maiduguri is the longest and one of the oldest Rail Lines in Nigeria that the federal government in matter of urgency to upgrade eastern rail line from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri from Narrow Gauge rail to standard Gauge rail
He further alluded to the fact that in April 2022 the federal government awarded a failed contract sum of $3.2Billion for rehabilitation and reconstruction of a narrow Gauge rail line instead of standard Gauge rail line from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri which has been vandalized, abandoned and overgrown with weeds and trees that if we have functional rail system is in place in Nigeria this will help to reduce vehicular traffic on our roads and save some from constant dilapidation
However, he noted that federal government should be as a meter of urgency and national interest and the resultant anxiety of excluded the 4 geopolitical zones which the eastern rail line covers, maintain a common development programe for the country by taking immediate steps to build standard gauge rail line from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri.
He then call on federal government as well that their should consider the involvement of Public -Private Partnership PPP to ensure that modernization and standardization of the eastern rail is achieved.
