Otti wants speedy completion of Eastern railway corridor

The Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, has urged the Nigeria Railway Corporation to ensure the speedy completion of the Eastern railway corridor.

The Governor made this known when he received a delegation of the NRC led by the corporation’s new Managing Director, Kayode Opeifa, in Umuahia, Abia State.

Otti said transportation is a sector that is very important to the economic development and growth of the State.

He also expressed concern that work had stopped on the Umuahia-Enugu section of the railway corridor initially scheduled for completion by the first quarter of 2024.

Otti, however, expressed hope that the Eastern railway corridor would receive the necessary attention it deserves under Opeifa’s leadership.

The Governor said,” I have no doubt that the ideas that have been on the table even long before you came on board may have been struggling.

“But I believe that as you (Opeifa) get down to work, they will be done.

“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.

“We felt it was important to replicate the transport system we have seen elsewhere, but not necessarily in Oshodi.

“Actually, we were thinking of Paddington in the UK where you have the bus terminal, train and everything converging in a place. Paddington never sleeps, that’s the kind of business we want to introduce in Umuahia,” Otti declared.

The Governor assured that he would investigate and provide necessary support, including logistics after concerns were raised about the security of NRC assets in Aba.

He noted that his government “does not discriminate between federal and state projects but is always willing to partner individuals or agencies that want to bring development to the state.”