Rotimi Amaechi Reveals Why Nigerian Government May Stop Train Services In 2021

The Federal Government has threatened to shutdown the Lagos-Ibadan and the Abuja-Kaduna train services if passengers don’t comply with the Covid-19 protocols.

The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, who stated this while featuring on NTA programme on Monday, said train users must comply with all Covid-19 protocols from the beginning of every trip to the end.

He said that with the recent rise in COVID-19 cases, it has become imperative for all train passengers to comply with the protocols.

“If we see that we are conveying passengers who have Covid from Lagos to Ibadan and Ibadan to Lagos, we will stop it just like we are threatened to stop the one from Kaduna to Abuja if people don’t comply with the Covid protocols.

“Don’t forget that on Kaduna-Abuja, we convey 4,000 passengers in a day. Imagine that about 20 per cent have Covid, they can transmit Covid to the entire passengers.

“The rate of transmission will be high. The same is applicable to Lagos. Everybody must comply with the Covid protocols, wear your masks till the end of the journey,” he said.

The minister also added that the $1.6bn Lagos-Ibadan railway project which would be completed this month would be inaugurated virtually by President Muhammadu Buhari.

KangiDaily recalls that the Nigerian Railway Corporation had in December 2020 commenced operations for the Lagos-Ibadan railway, a standard gauge rail covering a distance of 156km.