The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has announced plans to resume movement of cattle and other livestock from the northern to the southern regions of the country.
This service, which was suspended in 2017 due to technical issues, is set to recommence soon.
Fidet Okhiria, managing director of the NRC, revealed the upcoming resumption during an appearance on the Channels TV program ‘Morning Brief’ on Wednesday.
He mentioned that the transportation of livestock and goods will restart along the Warri-Itakpe route.
President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday hinted at the possibility of establishing a Ministry of Livestock Development, indicating increased governmental focus on the sector.
Okhiria explained that the NRC aims to modernised goods transportation in Nigeria, ensuring that livestock transported by road from the north can then be moved by rail to the southern regions.
To facilitate this, the NRC said it has acquired new wagons designed for livestock transport, currently being assembled in the Kajola area of Oyo State.
“We’ve built 15 wagons for livestock and maybe in the next month or two, they would be deployed from Itakpe to Warri to drive the economy.
“You are not developing transportation because you want to make a profit in terms of naira and kobo, but the profit will come indirectly if we can move goods and link cities,” the MD said.
He emphasised that while the primary goal is not immediate profit, the indirect economic benefits of improved transportation links and goods movement are enormous.
