Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has asked the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) to quickly fix the Aba-Umuahia-Enugu railway. He said this will help improve transportation and grow the economy in the South-East region of Nigeria.

Otti spoke during a meeting with a team from the NRC led by its new managing director, Kayode Opeifa. He said transportation is very important for economic growth and that fixing the rail line will help businesses and people move around more easily.

He was worried that work on the Aba to Enugu rail line has slowed down, even though it was supposed to be ready by early 2024. However, he believes things will get better under the new NRC boss.

“I know the work has faced some problems, but I’m hopeful that you’ll get it back on track,” Otti said. “Other parts of the project moved faster, so I’m sure you can speed things up here too.”

Otti also promised to help solve security problems around the NRC’s assets in Aba. He said his government will support the railway project with whatever is needed, including security and logistics. He stressed that his administration doesn’t see development projects as only state or federal, but works with anyone who wants to help Abia grow.

The governor also talked about plans to upgrade the transport system in the state. He wants to create something similar to the Paddington Station in the UK, where buses and trains all operate together in one busy place. “Paddington never sleeps. That’s the kind of activity we want in Umuahia,” he said.

Kayode Opeifa, the NRC’s managing director, said the meeting was to talk more about how to restart work on the Aba-Umuahia rail line. He said the NRC’s goal is to support the economy by making it cheaper to move goods and people. The plan is to connect all major cities in the South-East to the national railway.

During the meeting, Kingsley Agomoh from the Umuahia Capital Development Authority gave a presentation on the new railway and bus terminal being built in Umuahia.