Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar, who on Sunday, February 1, 2015 commissioned the air-conditioned Gombe State intercity railway system has come forward to highlight the grand achievements of President Goodluck Jonathan, especially as regards the resurgence of the hitherto moribund railway system.
Speaking via an interview with Forward Nigeria, the former senator speaks glowingly of the complete revitalisation of the train system which currently links the South South region from Port-Harcourt through the east via Enugu to Makurdi linking Northern towns of Jos, Gombe, Kafanchan, Kano and Kaduna, while on the Western front, goods are being lifted from the busy Apapa Port to Northern commercial cities of Kano and Kaduna.
He said: “I can confirm to you that already the trains are carrying products from the Apapa Port through to Kaduna and Kano on the Western line. So in a way, commerce is already being stimulated.
“A lot of economic activities have sprung up along this corridor. A lot of jobs have been created and the private sector,most importantly has been encouraged,” Umar said.
He further went on to give details of the extent of work already done, especially as cost of transporting goods and people across the country has been drastically reduced as a result of the return of the trains.
Umar concluded by appealing to Nigerians to re-elect President Jonathan as president for the sustenance of the rapid revamping of transport system.
In the Minister’s words: “What we are supposed to do, to sustain this transformation agenda and moving forward is to re-elect President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan as the president of this country from now till 2019.”
Watch the full video clip above.
