http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/02/ministry-transport-starting-quiet-revolution-south-west/

WHEN Buhari announced his cabinet members and granted the Ministers portfolios, nobody could have selected the Minister for Transport, Rotimi Amaechi as the minister most likely to succeed in the first term. Compared with appointees from the Southwest and Southeast who had received rave reviews as governors of their states or prolific National Publicity Secretaries, Amaechi apparently had no chance to top the class of 2015 Ministers. To make matters worse, the controversies over the 2015 budget, the frustration over power supply and crazy bills, exchange rate which seems to be flying higher like a kite, loan requests, security issues, and now officially acknowledged food scarcity have all combined to make Nigerians forget the fact that transport is still one of the three most vital services governments provide and it is the second most powerful glue (money is first) binding all economic activities. It deserves more attention than it is getting from most economic and social commentators. Starting today, transport will receive the attention it deserves. Fortunately, not all of us have lost focus. When the Buhari administration clocks its second year in office on May 29, 2017, one Minister will be able to beat his chest that his Ministry has made significant progress. More than that Amaechi and Buhari are about to leave one of the longest lasting legacies in the Southwest and South-South corner of Nigeria – starting with the West.

It is quite possible that neither the President nor the Minister is aware of the scope of economic, social and political transformation that will eventually occur as a result of the proposed rail lines. At the moment, the positive changes that will occur over the years are immeasurable because this writer is still grappling with finding the metrics needed to measure the impact of the changes which are inevitable. The conclusions reached in this first article are therefore tentative. More research will have to be conducted to determine the scale and scope of the economic, social and political benefits that Nigerians will enjoy when the rail lines between Ibadan and Lagos and Lagos to Calabar start rolling. We start with the Lagos-Ibadan line because it is easier for a lot of people to understand the issues here on account of having to live daily with the consequences of having clueless governments in the past. A train carrying 2100 passengers conveys as many people as 150 standard 14-seater buses or 420 cars fully loaded with five people in greater comfort and safety than any of those buses and cars can. Accidents and losses of life and assets will also be sharply reduced. Again, we will over time determine the benefits in there regards. It also carries the added advantage that insurance companies can vie for train accident insurance for passengers covering injuries and death – benefits which cannot now be offered to travelers. Every bus taken off the road as a result of more reliable train service reduces the wear and tear on the roads and traffic congestion. All these have enormous economic results which need to be determined as soon as possible for the people to understand what a dramatic transformation is about to take place along that route. Yet, the basketful of benefits has not been exhausted. The first people to grasp the enormity of this revolutionary idea are people from Ibadan working in Lagos and those along the route of the train line – especially those renting houses in Lagos. Shortly after the Honourable Minister announced the plan to introduce the Lagos-Ibadan rail service, a series of interviews were conducted with people from Ibadan working in Lagos. Unanimously, they are planning to return home to Ibadan and commute everyday to work in Lagos. The same is true of people along the entire route of the rail service. Here again the benefits are numerous but a few will be sufficient for now. First, week-end mothers and fathers can now spend all week long with their families and still work at their present jobs. Nobody knows at the moment how many people will seize the opportunity to relocate home. But, it is a safe bet that close to half a million will gladly return home to spend more time with their families. Here again a well-organised study will be required to ascertain the likely number of commuters wanting to use the service. Nothing will create monumental problems than for far more people to show up than the trains can accommodate. Second, the mass transfer of thousands of tenants from Lagos to other places along the route will reduce the pressure on social services in Lagos State in the first instance. And, it might halt the upward spiral of rents in Lagos. At any rate the people who will relocate to places where rents are far lower than in Lagos will have more discretionary income to spend. They will eat better food; spend more on health and the education of their kids. In a few years, living in Lagos will be a luxury which the people along those routes will no longer want to afford. Will you need a car in Lagos, if you live at Ibadan and commute to Lagos? It is doubtful. Those of us who lived in suburban US communities and went to work with trains knew that we packed the car at a parking lot at the station and went to the city without it. That is likely to be the fate of most people who relocate to other places and come by train to Lagos. Eventually, more vehicles will move out of Lagos and traffic hold-ups will be reduced somewhat. How much is difficult to say at the moment. But, traffic reduction will certainly occur. Even Lagos roads will experience some relief from wear and tear. People just don’t move. For good or ill they move their habits and lifestyles with them as much as possible. Schools, churches and service providers in Lagos will experience movement of their clients and congregations. But, one community’s loss is another community’s gain. Incomes will be redistributed all over the area and new opportunities will open up. Among them are direct bus services from the train terminal to designated areas of Lagos and return journey. Vendors of various goods and services – newspapers, food and drinks etc, will, under licence have thousands of potential customers delivered to the station all day long instead of having to hunt for them in drenching rains and burning sun. Mark my words; in ten years time people will be asking why nobody ever thought of this before. May be then they will erect monuments to Buhari and Amaechi.

Amaechi indisputable leader

A genius

A good leader

The lion of the Niger Delta politics

This man is an achiever whether you like him or now
You must attest to this fact