FORMER President Goodluck Jonathan really achieved a lot by reviving the rail transportation sector which had been moribund for several years. However, a lot still needs to be done if Nigerians will embrace the rails again.
First, the rail system has the capacity to carry more goods than 100 trucks can carry at a time; this means that if we can develop the rail system, then there will be fewer trucks on the roads, thereby reducing fatal road accidents, as well as the dilapidation of our roads.
The rail system is considered to be the safest mode of transportation; when one studies the statistics of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), one will discover the huge number of people who are losing their lives as a result of road accidents in the country. We can save the lives of many Nigerians if we can simply develop the rail system.
Again, it is only in Nigeria that the rail system is not valued; in developed economies, the rail system contributes in no small measure to the development of the economy. More goods are transported faster, while accidents are reduced significantly.
Nigeria has a lot to benefit if we develop our rail system, and I am, therefore, calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to focus on the revival of this sector.
- Nelson Ekwale,
Benin, Edo State.