Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Transport |
It is observable that in the last 10 years,
Nigeria’s underground pipeline networks where products were usually moved have
collapsed, thus leaving fuel marketers with no option than to move products by
road via trucks with all the attendant crisis in gridlocks caused to other
road users by the tankers indiscriminately parked along refineries, depots and
fuel reloading routes in Lagos, Warri and Port Harcourt.
The high dependence on trucks to freight
petroleum products across the country has also had dire impacts on the timely
delivery of products given the delays associated with bad roads in most parts
of the country.
Rt. Hon. Amaechi, who spoke in Lagos over the
weekend, said work had advanced on the narrow gauge rehabilitation project,
which will be highly utilised for the movement of such cargoes like petroleum
products by marketers by 2016.
In his own words: “The
movement of petroleum products by rail will be re-introduced in 2016. As you
are aware, we have commenced and almost completed the narrow gauge
rehabilitation, which will be retained for the movement of cargoes. At the
same time, massive investments into the standard gauge to link most parts of
the country with faster trains for passenger movements has begun. In 2016, we
hope to complete work on the Abuja-Kaduna railway line as Mr. President is
highly committed to it.”
The minister made it clear that the Federal
Government, alongside the Lagos State government, was also working out modalities
to bring to an end the horrible traffic situation created at the Apapa axis of
Lagos by fuel tankers queuing to take fuel, adding that in partnership with
relevant ministries in the petroleum and transport sectors, steps would be
taken to ensure that fuel supply to airlines at the Lagos domestic and
international airports is done in such a way that will eliminate the
indiscriminate parking of trucks along the airport routes with all the
potential threats to the safety of the airport and allied facilities.
That would imply investing in the
resuscitation or reconstruction of the underground pipes that brought fuel
directly from the Ejigbo depot to the airport. The absence of the fuel pipe network
is believed to be at the root of the fuel supply crisis to airlines in recent
years. (Sun)
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