The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) is set to reintroduce rail services for transporting cattle from the northern to the southern regions of Nigeria.
Fidet Okhiria, NRC Managing Director, made the announcement on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday. He revealed that the transportation of cattle and goods would resume on the Warri-Itakpe route, a service halted in 2017 due to technical issues.
Okhiria indicated that within one to two months, the Warri-Itakpe train service will restart cattle transportation, allowing herders to efficiently move their livestock from Itakpe in Kogi State to Warri in Delta State.
He emphasized the NRC’s commitment to modernizing goods transportation in Nigeria, disclosing that the corporation has acquired specialized livestock wagons currently being assembled at the Kajola facility in Oyo State. “We’ve built 15 wagons for livestock, and maybe in the next month or two, they will be deployed from Itakpe to Warri to drive the economy,” Okhiria stated.
He stressed the importance of prioritizing the social and economic well-being of the people over immediate profits in transportation investments. “You are not developing transportation because you want to make a profit in terms of naira and kobo, but the profit will come indirectly if we can move goods and link cities,” he said.
Okhiria noted that while direct benefits may not be immediately visible to the government, the indirect earnings from improved logistics will significantly contribute to the economy’s growth and development.
In a related development, President Bola Tinubu announced the creation of a new ministry dedicated to livestock development and inaugurated the Renewed Hope livestock reform implementation committee at the State House in Abuja.