2nd July, 2021
By Muhaimin Olowoporoku
Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi has lamented that train vandals frequently steal railway clips which leads to huge losses for the federal government.
He said this on Friday at the ministerial media briefing organized by the Presidential Communications Team at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The minister at the briefing proposed that vandals caught stealing railway facilities should be charged with manslaughter.
Amaechi noted that stringent laws will curb the menace, which he says could cause train derailment and killing unsuspecting passengers.
The former Rivers governor also revealed that Nigeria and China have signed a contract to manufacture train coaches locally in the country following an initial five-year period of just the local assembling of the components.
He also revealed that an agreement has been signed for the Chinese to build a rail component manufacturing factory in Kajola, Ogun State due to be commissioned this year and as well, a University in Daura, Katsina State to help localise railway technology.
The minister said the Kaduna-Kano railway project will be flagged off in two weeks just as he affirmed that the Lekki deep seaport will be completed before the end of the present administration.