Newly inaugurated assembly plant to produce 500 wagons annually — Buhari
By Seun Ibiyemi
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday in Kajola, Ogun State, inaugurated the first ever Wagon Assembly plant in West Africa.
This is even as the President said that the Wagon Assembly plant is set to produce 500 wagons per year of open wagons, container flat wagons and box wagons.
Speaking after inaugurating the Wagon Assembly plant, President Muhammadu Buhari who was represented by the Minister of Transportation, Muazu Jaji Sambo said that out of 368 various types of Wagons needed and awarded to Messrs. China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), about 220 Wagons of the existing rolling stock procurement contract are to be produced at the Kajola Plant pending when the plant would be transformed to full Wagon manufacturing plant.
According to President Muhammadu Buhari, “The establishment of the Kajola Assembly Plant was a Corporate Social Responsibility by Messrs CCECC Nigeria Limited in the Lagos-Ibadan Railway Modernisation Project being a section of the Lagos-Kano Railway Modernisation Project.
“With my approval, the Ministry signed an agreement in March 2018 with Messrs. CCECC as Direct Foreign Investment (DFI) by the company in compliance with Presidential Order No. 5 to promote companies’ involvement in infrastructure development and transfer of technology to Nigeria.
“Expectedly, the Federal Government is to facilitate the establishment of the plant by providing an enabling environment and necessary support in terms of tax waivers, utilities (power and water supply), access road and rail sidings etc. This responsibility was carried out meticulously by the Nigerian Government.
“The groundbreaking ceremony of the Wagon Assembly Plant as you may wish to note was performed by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo GCON on November 8, 2019.
“The Wagon Assembly Plant is now completed and has a locomotive and rolling depot, having the capacity to produce 500 Wagons per year of open wagons, container flat wagons and box wagons.
“Out of 368 various types of wagons needed and awarded to Messrs. CCECC, about 220 wagons of the existing rolling stock procurement contract are to be produced at the Kajola Plant pending when the plant would be transformed into a full wagon manufacturing plant.
“Other advantages of setting up the plant is the potential to be provided by the ongoing rail projects in the country and Sub-African Region which will generate significant demand for Nigerians Rolling Stock.
“With the milestone achieved, we are seriously working to open the first University of Transportation in Daura, Katsina State. The intention of this University is to ensure adequate turn out of graduates, technicians, artisan, and researchers on different areas of transportation especially railway transportation to guarantee the sustainability of the massive infrastructural provision of this administration on rail transportation.”
Speaking earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Magdalene Ajani said that the plant offers an important platform for indigenous technicians, artisans, and others to gain specialised skills for the production and maintenance of rolling stock.
“This is expected to spin up businesses across the country wherever a rail network is in existence as well as create job opportunities and improve the technological capacity in the country.
“The completed rail-wagon plant represents a significant milestone in the development of the rail industry not just in Nigeria but in Africa as a whole,” Ajani stated.
Also speaking at the inauguration, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Engineer Fidet Okhiria thanked President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Transportation, Muazu Jaji Sambo for their commitment and steadfastness in ensuring the completion of the project.
