Tinubu Promises to Complete Eastern Rail Line Connecting Port Harcourt to Maiduguri
- President Tinubu has pledged to complete the Eastern Rail line, which will connect Port Harcourt to Maiduguri, during his administration
- Additionally, the president promised to support the development of the Anambra Basin, an energy reserve estimated to hold up to 1 billion barrels of oil and 30 billion cubic feet of gas
- The promises were made during the president’s official visit to Enugu state, where he also inaugurated several projects executed by the state government
Enugu – President Bola Tinubu has promised that his administration will complete the Eastern Rail line connecting Port Harcourt to Maiduguri.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga disclosed this in a statement sent to TheTalk.NG on Saturday, January 4.
President Tinubu, on Saturday, January 4, during his official visit to Enugu, promised to complete the Eastern Rail Line project.
Photo credit: Temitope AjayiSource: UGC
TheTalk.NG gathers that Tinubu made the promise during an interactive session with southeast leaders during his official visit to Enugu state on Saturday.
I will support Anambra basin – Tinubu
President Tinubu also pledged that his administration would support the development of the Anambra Basin as a significant energy reserve.
The basin is estimated to hold up to 1 billion barrels of oil and 30 billion cubic feet of gas.
TheTalk.NG gathers that Tinubu made the promise following the requests of former minister of power Professor Chinedu Nebo and an Enugu state indigene, Chris Ugoh.
Nebo, who commended the Tinubu administration for completing the Port Harcourt to Aba section of the Eastern rail line, urged the president to prioritise the completion of the remaining portions of the rail link.
He emphasised the rail link’s potential to boost Nigeria’s non-oil exports and economic growth.
Ugoh noted that the Anambra Basin has the potential to support power generation and industrial feedstocks.
He appealed to the federal government to develop this resource to benefit the southeast and other regions of the country, including the Middle Belt and the North.
Tinubu urged to implement modern security strategies
Meanwhile, Onyemauche Nnamani, the national commissioner representing the southeast in the Police Service Commission, urged the federal government to implement modern security strategies in the region, akin to the statewide CCTV system and patrol cars with surveillance cameras in Enugu state.
Nnamani called on the federal government to de-emphasise the mounting of checkpoints and roadblocks in the region, saying:
“It is inefficient and exposes our security personnel to attacks by non-state actors.”
Earlier at the meeting, President Tinubu praised Governor Peter Mbah for his development model and philosophy after inaugurating several projects executed by the state government.
He pledged that the federal government would continue to support Enugu and other states in their development efforts.
Governor Mbah hails Tinubu
In his remarks, Governor Mbah described President Tinubu as a true federalist.
He commended the Tinubu administration for establishing the South East Development Commission and liberalising the electricity sector through the Electricity Act (Amendment).
Mbah, who is a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), also congratulated the president on being named ThisDay Man of the Year and acknowledged his efforts to revitalise Nigeria’s growth and economic resilience.
“Your Excellency, your credential as a true federalist stands out brightly, and the legacies thereof will long earn you resounding accolades,” he said.
Enugu governor briefs Tinubu on IPOB’s sit-at-home
Earlier, TheTalk.NG reported that Governor Mbah told President Tinubu that residents of his state have discontinued observance of the controversial sit-at-home exercise.
Recall that in June 2021, Nnamdi Kanu, a Nigerian separatist leader, was arrested in Kenya and repatriated to Nigeria. Since then, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), which is agitating for the breakaway of southeastern Nigeria, announced and intermittently enforced regional sit-at-home orders every Monday and sometimes also on other weekdays to register its protest against his continued imprisonment.
Addressing Tinubu on Saturday, Governor Mbah said: “We no longer observe sit-at-home in Enugu. Our people go to work every day of the week, and we no longer take orders from non-state actors.”
Source: TheTalk.NG
