The Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, Dr Kayode Opeifa, has set up a committee to accelerate port-to-rail connectivity across the country, as part of a broader effort to leverage private sector investment in rail infrastructure.
Speaking at the Nigerian Ports Consultative Council’s Quarterly Stakeholders Engagement, Opeifa stressed the urgent need to strengthen rail links to ports to improve efficiency in Nigeria’s freight and logistics network. He said the Secretary to the Government of the Federation has established a dedicated committee to drive the initiative.
The engagement served as a platform for maritime and rail sector stakeholders to align strategies and reinforce partnerships aimed at building a more integrated transport system. Opeifa warned that without efficient rail connections, ongoing port reforms and deep-sea port developments would deliver only marginal returns.
He acknowledged progress in recent years, particularly under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, but said significant work remains to optimise cargo movement from ports, especially in Lagos and the eastern corridor. Persistent bottlenecks in seamless rail freight movement were highlighted, with calls for operational improvements to reduce delays.
Opeifa outlined plans to enhance interconnectivity among eastern ports through new rail lines, boosting regional trade integration. He confirmed that the Kaduna-Kano rail corridor is nearing completion and that the federal government has approved linking operational rail lines to ports to ease congestion and improve cargo evacuation.
Major projects include extending the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge line from Apapa Port to Tincan Island Port, connecting the Warri-Itakpe line to Warri Port, and linking the Port Harcourt Port at Onne via the eastern narrow gauge. Approval has also been granted to connect the Lagos-Kano line to Baro Port.
A planned rail development for the Lekki Deep Sea Port will run through Ijebu-Ode and Sagamu to Kajola, linking with the Lagos-Ibadan line, and is expected to commence this year. Opeifa reiterated that connecting all Nigerian ports by rail is essential for seamless, efficient, and standardised freight movement nationwide.
He also called for expanding freight yards on both narrow and standard gauge lines to boost cargo handling capacity and logistics efficiency, urging all stakeholders to support the strategic drive toward integrated port-rail connectivity.
