President Muhamamdu Buhari has ordered experts who presented Lagos to Kano rail line plan to redraw the line so that it can pass through Ekiti state. The president stated this during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday, August 31, through his special adviser on political matters, Senator Babafemi Ogudu in a release titled: “President Buhari, Ekiti And The Proposed Lagos To Kano Rail Line”. He said:
“Something remarkable happened at the Federal Executive Council ( FEC ) today. The experts working on the proposed rail line running from Lagos to Kano came to present their master plan. The president gave full attention as they narrated how the line will go through OGUN, Oyo , Osin , Kwara , Kogi etc .
“The lines meandered and avoided Ekiti. After they were through the President called the experts back to the map and asked them why they avoided Ekiti. They had no convincing explanation . He firmly told them to go and redraw the line to pass through Ekiti.
“It is a mark of a man with a large heart. A different being would have done otherwise considering what the Ekiti governor has done to the President and his family. Generations of Ekiti indigenes will be grateful to Mr President for this act of magnanimity.”
Meanwhile, on Monday, August 29, a Chinese company stated that its directors had gotten a provisional letter of award from the Nigerian government on constructing a light rail system valued at $1.851billionto be built in Kanostate. It is learnt that rail will have a full stretch of 74.3 kilometres and is expected to travel at a speed of 100 kilometres per hour.