Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) will soon reintroduce rail services to transport cattle from northern to southern Nigeria.
NRC managing director, Fidet Okhiria, shared this update on Channels Television’s “The Morning Brief.”
Okhiria announced that cattle and goods transportation would resume via the Warri-Itakpe route, with services expected to restart within one to two months.
Due to technical issues, the NRC had previously suspended cattle transportation by train in 2017.
Highlighting the NRC’s modernisation efforts, Okhiria revealed that specialised wagons for livestock transport are being assembled at the Kajola facility in Oyo State.
“We’ve built 15 wagons for livestock, and maybe in the next month or two months, they will be deployed from Itakpe to Warri to drive the economy,” he stated.
Okhiria stressed the importance of prioritising the social and economic well-being of the people over direct profit from railway investments.
He said while the benefits may not be immediately apparent, the indirect earnings will support the economy’s overall growth and development.
This announcement follows President Bola Tinubu’s plan to establish a new ministry dedicated to livestock development. On Tuesday, Tinubu also inaugurated the Renewed Hope livestock reform implementation committee at the State House in Abuja.
