Coronavirus: FG To Shut Down Train Services

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$5.3bn Loan Delaying Kano-Ibadan Railway Construction – Amaechi

Coronavirus: FG To Shut Down Train Services.

The Nigeria’s Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi has warned that the federal government may be forced to shut down train services if passengers do not comply with COVID-19 protocols.

The Minister made the submission on Monday, 11th January while speaking on a TV interview program.

The Minister noted that the train conveys a large number of people on a daily basis and if perhaps an infected person boards the train or covid-19 protocols are not observed, the rate of transmission will be very high.

While speaking on NTA Good Morning Nigeria programme, the Minister said:

 “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 reiterated that the $1.6bn Lagos-Ibadan railway project covering a distance of 156km would be completed this month and President Muhammadu Buhari will virtually commission the project.

The Nigerian Railway Corporation had in December 2020 launched the operation of the Lagos-Ibadan railway.