FG urged to link major airports to rail lines, develop rail dualisation policy

Abuja (National Conference Report) – The National Conference sitting in Abuja on Tuesday June 17, 2014 has demanded the Nigerian Government to ensure that every major airport in the country is linked to a functional rail line to boost easy access to airports across the country.
 
Sources from the Conference Secretariat have reported that the delegates also resolved that rail lines should be made to have a dualisation policy to allow for mass movement of trains as obtains in the developed rail systems in other parts of the world. In order to reduce road accidents and other associated hazards, the Conference said that effective rail systems should be developed such that petroleum products can be transported from one part of the country to the other.
 
The report further indicated that the Conference called on Government to urgently complete the National Hanger Project at the Uyo Airport in Akwa Ibom State for it to serve as a repair and maintenance hub to airline operators. The report noted that these recommendations were adopted by the Conference during the debate as well as the Report of the Transportation Committee headed by Musa Adede with a Retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, Ralph Ola Osanaiye as Deputy Chairman.
 
According to the Sources, following the Committee’s observation that the existing transportation infrastructure in Nigeria comprising: roads, railways, ports, airports and pipelines is inadequate in terms of accessibility and inter-operability, it resolved that the transportation sector represents a significant proportion of Nigeria’s key infrastructure because it facilitates the links between spatially located facilities and acts as mechanism for maintaining social contact. The transportation sector, it said impacts on the country’s activities ranging from its peoples and economy to the environment and politics.
 
The report noted in the same vein that an ineffective transportation system could frustrate the efforts of government and the people, while an adequate transport system can impact positively on the national development and enhance the standard of living of the people. It noted alongside that a well-planned and developed inter-modal transportation system is an essential infrastructure requirement for socio-economic development.
 
“Transportation goes beyond facilitating the movement of people and goods, but also contributes to regional and national development creating positive multiplier effects on all sectors of economic activities which lead to job creation and poverty alleviation. The most central challenge identified in this sector is the absence of an integrated approach to transportation development and management in Nigeria,” the report stated.
 
According to the Committee resolution, the absence of a central authority to oversee the implementation of the various National Transportation Master Plan and the heavy dependence on budgetary provision for transport development has resulted to inadequate funding regimes and distortions in most transport projects. The Conference therefore, accepted its recommendation that Government should review the existing transportation master plan for each sector based on economic analysis to determine the economic rate of return on each transportation project looking at the economic impact and financial implication of such projects.
 
‘Such plan adopted by the Conference, it pointed needs to be prioritized as projects based on economic analysis and budget constraints so as to determine the diverse range of benefits. The benefits should include: accessibility and social benefits, economic and growth benefits, congestion benefits, environmental benefits, health and social benefits as well as infrastructure maintenance benefits and operation and maintenance benefits.’
 
It was accepted by the Committee that foreign airlines should be encouraged to employ Nigerian pilots and other staff as the number of unemployed qualified Nigerians in this sector compared to the burgeoning number of their foreign counterparts has been precarious and unacceptable. In this regard, the Conference suggested that Government should urgently engage the construction of perimeter roads and fences around the airports so as to enhance airport security and prevent incidents of stray animals colliding with aircraft on the runway. The Committee also resolved that the abandoned Onitsha Cargo Airport in Anambra State should be completed to enhance commercial activities in the South -East.
 
The decisions taken over the state of the roads in the country demanded that Government should fast-track the completion of the Lokoja and Onitsha Ports Projects and dredge all inland waterways. The Committee maintained that the government must accord priority to fast-tracking the completion of the East-West Road linking the Southern parts of the country to the Western part to enhance effective transportation within the Geo-political zones.
 
The Nigerian Government was also tasked with establishing a Road Development Fund for the development and maintenance of public roads; noting the sources of revenue to include among others – toll gates with a provision for alternative routes, vehicle tax, weigh bridges, parking fees and the petroleum tax. The Committee challenged the Federal Government to begin work on the Nigerian sector of the Trans-African Highway as a way of easing transportation flow within the African continent.