By Chinonye Anyatonwu
President Muhammad Buhari has commissioned the Kajola Wagon Assembly Plant in Ogun State.
According to Buhari, the establishment of the Kajola Assembly Plant was a Corporate Social Responsibility by Messrs CCECC Nigeria Limited in the Lagos-Ibadan Railway Modernization Project being a section of the Lagos-Kano Railway Modernization Project.
The ground breaking ceremony of the Wagon Assembly Plant was performed by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo on November 8, 2019.
Performing the commissioning on Monday, May 22, 2023, President Buhari, represented by the Minister of Transportation Mu’azu Jaji Sambo, said the plant was part of the effort of the Federal Government in the promotion and development of local capacity in assembling and manufacturing of rolling stock, as well as a means to generate employment and boost economic opportunities for the citizenry.
“With my approval, the Ministry signed an Agreement in March, 2018 with Messrs. CCECC as Direct Foreign Investment (DFI) by the company in compliance with the Presidential Order No. 5 to promote companies’ involvement in infrastructure development and transfer of technology to Nigeria. Expectedly, the Federal Government is to facilitate the establishment of the plant by providing enabling environment and necessary support in terms of Tax Waivers, Utilities (Power and Water Supply), Access Road and Rail Sidings etc. This responsibility was carried out meticulously by the Nigerian Government.
“The Wagon Assembly Plant is now completed and has a Locomotive and Rolling Depot, having the capacity to produce 500 Wagons per year of Open Wagons, container Flat Wagons and Box Wagons. Out of 368 various types of Wagons needed and awarded to Messrs. CCECC, about 220 Wagons of the existing rolling stock procurement contract are to be produced at the Kajola Plant pending when the plant would be transformed to full Wagon manufacturing plant.
“Other advantages of setting up the plant is the potential to be provided by the on-going rail projects in the country and Sub-African Region which will generate significant demand for Nigerians Rolling Stock,” said Buhari.
He said the first set of wagons assembled here in Nigeria is being rolled out for further deployment for freight services.
“With the milestone achieved, we are seriously working to open the first University of Transportation in Daura, Katsina State. The intension of this University is to ensure adequate turn out of graduates, technicians, artisans, researchers on different areas of transportation especially railway transportation to guarantee the sustainability of the massive infrastructural provision of this administration on rail transportation.
“We therefore expect that very soon graduands of the University of Transportation Daura and returnees from various universities in China that were awarded scholarships by Messrs. CCECC will occupy their pride of place in the Kajola Assembly Plant,” the President said.
