By Afolabi Oyekunle.
..Dr. Opeifa
There is urgent need to deepen rail-port connectivity to enhance efficiency in Nigeria's freight and logistics ecosystem, so says the Managing Director of the Railway Corporation (NRC), Dr. Kayode Opeifa. .
Dr Opeifa spoke at the Quarterly Stakeholders Engagement of the Nigerian Ports Consultative Council, NPCC, where he delivered one of the two keynote addresses.
He emphasized that the maritime sector reforms and the deep sea ports without an efficient rail linkage would continue to yield marginal returns.
According to the Nigerian Railway Corporation Managing Director connecting all the ports by rail remains one of the sure pathway to boosting the nation’s economy .
He urged other stakeholders, particularly truckers and others not to sabotage the strategic drive of rail linkages as they too have a role to play in taking the raw materials from the farmlands to the ports and in taking the freights imported through the ports to the final destinations by roads from the freight yards
Dr. Opeifa, who acknowledged the strong collaboration between the NRC and port authorities, nonetheless acknowledged that significant progress has been made in recent years, especially under the President Bola Ahmed Tibubu administration.
He however stressed that more work needs to be done to fully optimize the movement of goods from the ports particularly within Lagos, Nigeria’s economic capital and the eastern port corridor to other parts of the country.
He highlighted persistent challenges in the seamless movement of cargo between ports via rail, calling for deliberate efforts to improve operational efficiency and reduce bottlenecks.
Dr Opeifa said that optimizing port operations through a revolution of freight by rail is critical to achieving a more reliable and cost-effective freight system.
Dr. Opeifa also spoke on the strategic importance of interconnectivity among Eastern region ports, revealing the Corporation’s plans to introduce new rail lines that will further enhance port operations and regional trade integration.
Providing updates on key infrastructure projects, he noted that the Kaduna-Kano rail corridor will soon be completed.
In addition, he emphasized the Federal Government effort to link currently operating rail lines to the port, a move aimed at significantly improving cargo evacuation and reducing cargo congestion within the port corridors.
“The Federal Government has approved many plans including the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge line extension from the Apapa Port to the Tincan Island port, while on the central line, the Warri-Itakpe would connect the Warri Port. On the Eastern flank, similar thing would happen on the Narrow Gauge as the line is expected to be connected to the Port-Harcourt Port at Onne, just as approval has been given to connect the Lagos-Kano on the Western flank to the Baro Port on the narrow gauge, he said.”
He emphasized that a rail development being planned for the Lekki Deep Sea Port which would pass through Ijebu-Ode and Sagamu to Kajola, from where it would join the Lagos-Ibadan on the Western line would most likely take-off this year.
He reiterated that all ports in Nigeria must be connected by rail to ensure seamless, efficient, and standardized freight movement nationwide.
Furthermore, Dr. Opeifa emphasized the need to increase the number of freight yards across both narrow gauge and standard gauge rail lines to boost cargo handling capacity and improve overall logistics efficiency.
The MD also revealed that the Federal Government has shown strong interest in the development of highspeed rail infrastructure through the private sector.
He announced that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation has constituted a committee to drive the effective delivery of the initiative.
The engagement provided a vital platform for stakeholders across the maritime and rail sectors to align strategies, strengthen partnerships, and collectively chart a path toward a more integrated and efficient transport system in Nigeria.
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