Babatunde Fashola
The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola has expressed dismay at the rate roads and bridges are collapsing owing to the pressure of cargoes on them by tankers and trailers, declaring that all businesses involving movement of trailers and tankers on Nigeria roads were to revert to rail transportation.
Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday, the minister warned that unless the trend is reversed, the transportation business would be adversely affected, pledging to collaborate with the Minister of Transport in ensuring that cargoes were routed through the rail.
He explained that in pursuing the rail project, there is a lot of inter-ministerial collaboration between his Ministry and that of Transport, adding that the Transport Minister, Hon. Chibuike Amaechi, who he said, understands the issues more than any other person, would be in a better position to explain the progress being made in the sector.
“Plans will take time to evolve. You will see that his Ministry has delivered the Abuja – Kaduna rail. You see that the Lagos-Kano rail project and all of that were high issues during the budget presentations. I think that all of us now in the Executive and in Parliament are on one page; we are all agreed and there is an understanding of what needs to be done,” he said.
Fashola stated that there was need for all the stakeholders including government and all those in the transportation business, especially those in the trailer and tanker business moving cargo across the country, to agree on reverting to the rail transportation as a means of moving heavy cargo in order to save the roads.
Recalling that he had in the past suggested to the drivers of articulated vehicles moving heavy cargos to begin thinking of alternative means, he warned that if this was not done in time the roads may collapse and so would their business.
“In the past, I told all the tanker drivers that if they could move from rail transport to tanker and container transport on roads and we have seen the damage we have done, there is no reason we cannot move back,” the Minister said.
He added that although it may take time, there must be a common agreement to move off the roads “because if the roads fail, the transport business dies.”
Fashola continued, “So in the same way they import trailers to move their cargo, they can begin to make arrangements to import wagons. We must all agree that this is the way to go. I am convinced that this is the way to go for the future”.
Noting that Nigerians have even designed tankers beyond the capacity found in any other parts of the world, he said: “We must all agree because this is not sustainable”.
The minister advised that instead of building and reconstructing the rail-lines, the same containers and tankers could be configured to run on tracks, adding that the present administration was now moving cattle by rail from the North to Lagos.
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