By Alex Enebeli
Njiko Igbo Forum, an affiliate of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to approve the commencement of repair work on abandoned eastern railways.
The group said the railways if repaired, would thrive economic activities and increase transport system in the region especially movement of goods and services from South-South and South-East to northern parts of Nigeria.
Rev. Okechukwu Obioha, the President of the Forum, stated this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu.
According to him, there is no equity, justice and fairness or amount of the palliative from the FG extended to the people of the South-East zone, that can assuage, support or compensate them enough, as long as the eastern corridors of the railways remained abandoned.
The statement noted that from the days of Sure-P of the Olusegun Obasanjo-led administration, to the Buhari-led government, all other rail lines and even new ones, were constructed and became operational.
He said these exempted that of the southeast running from Port Harcourt to Enugu and Markurdi to Maiduguri.
The statement said due to the condition of the railway lines, some criminals were now pulling off the rails/slippers all through the corridors, leaving no sign of any trace of a former rail line.
It added that grasses and tress had taken over the rail lines.
The statement quoted Obioha as saying: “So we are appealing to President Tinubu to come to the aid of people of the zone as the railway corridors needed urgent attention,” (NAN)
