Buhari commissions Kajola wagon assembly plant in Ogun State

The Kajola Waggon Assembly Plant in Ogun State has been officially opened by President Muhammadu Buhari as a sign of his administration’s dedication to ensuring the long-term viability of the ongoing railway modernization project.

The facility, the first of its kind in West Africa, can construct 500 open waggons, container flat waggons, and box waggons annually with the help of its locomotive and rolling depot.

Approximately 220 waggons of the current rolling stock procurement contract are to be built at the factory, awaiting when it would be converted to a complete waggon manufacturing facility, according to Buhari, out of the 368 different types of waggons required and granted to the contractor.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo conceptualised and officially opened the assembly plant on November 8, 2019, according to Buhari, who was represented by the minister of transportation, Mu’azu Sambo. Buhari claimed that the assembly plant is a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative by Messrs China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) Nigeria Limited in the modernization of the Lagos-Ibadan Railway.

In accordance with Presidential Order No. 5, which encourages business participation in infrastructure development and technology transfer to Nigeria, he claimed that the ministry signed a deal with CCECC as Direct Foreign Investment (DFI) by the corporation with his consent.

The factory is a dream come true, said Fidet Okhiria, managing director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), adding that it will be used to repair damaged waggons rather than importing them from outside.

CCECC Nigeria Limited’s deputy managing director, Jacques Liao, declared that the company will help Nigeria advance its railway technology.

According to Liao, the factory would offer logistics for moving goods and generate both direct and indirect employment.

Dr Magdalene Ajani, permanent secretary of the ministry of transportation, stated earlier in her address that the finished rail-wagon facility marks an important turning point in the growth of the rail sector not only in Nigeria but also in all of Africa.

According to Ajani, the factory is anticipated to generate 5,000 direct and indirect jobs in addition to employment opportunities for critical local staff members at the top, medium, and lower levels.