Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has expressed concerns that the progress of work has stalled on the Umuahia to Enugu section of the railway corridor.
The projects, he said, were scheduled for completion by the first quarter of last year but have remained stalled.
Otti raised the concern during a meeting with the new Managing Director of the Nigeria Railway Corporation, NRC, Kayode Opeifa, and the NRC team.
He expressed confidence that, under the new Managing Director, the trajectory of NRC work would bring the much-needed speed and quality to the railway projects across the nation, especially the South-East corridor.
Governor Otti, who described transportation as a key sector for economic development and national growth, reiterated his administration's commitment to transforming the transport sector, which includes ongoing efforts to modernize the transport system in the state.
“The speed with which the other parts of the corridor were executed and the speed at which the execution is happening right now are different, but I am sure you'll change the trajectory very soon,” Otti said.
On concerns raised about the security of NRC assets in Aba, Governor Otti assured that he would look into the issue and provide the necessary support, including logistics, emphasizing that his government does not discriminate between federal and state projects.
Speaking earlier, the Managing Director of the Nigeria Railway Corporation, Kayode Opeifa, disclosed that the meeting was to deepen discussions and plans on how best to revive the Aba-Umuaahia rail line, adding that their mandate is to ensure that all major cities in the South-East are connected to the national rail line.
