Nigeria – Ministry Of Livestock Development: Nigerian Railway Corporation To Transport Livestock Using Railway

By Utebor Paul, Nigeria

Following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s announcement of the creation of the Ministry of Livestock Development, the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has disclosed that traders and herders will soon be able to transport their cows from the northern region to the southern region of Nigeria, using the Nigerian rail services.

Fidget Okhiria, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, noted this during a show called “The Morning Brief Breakfast,” aired on Channels Television.

He explained that the movement of cows and other goods will resume in one or two months using the Warri-Itakpe route. Itakpe is located in Kogi State, North Central Nigeria, while Warri is in Delta State, in the South-South geopolitical zone of the country.

Okhiria stated that the NRC would modernize the movement of goods in the country, allowing passengers to travel by road from the north and then transport those goods by rail to Warri, in the South-South geopolitical zone.

“We’ve built 15 wagons for livestock, and maybe in the next month or two, they will be deployed from Itakpe to Warri to drive the economy,” Okhiria disclosed.

He added that investment in railways should focus on the social and economic benefits for the people rather than being profit-oriented.

“You are not developing transportation because you want to make a profit in terms of naira and kobo, but the profit will come indirectly if we can move goods and link cities,” he noted.