True or false? GEJ can still link state capitals with rail

With exactly three weeks to the expiration of his administration, President Goodluck Jonathan is not done with making promises to Nigerian, whether feasible or not.

The president stated on Thursday, that his government has plans for inter-city rail system, stressing that the target was at the national level, and to make sure that every state capital is linked up by the railway system.

Jonathan spoke in Abuja during an inspection tour of some projects in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

While inspecting the rail project, Jonathan expressed satisfaction with the level of completion, which he noted was dear to him, and insisted that without a functional rail system in any nation, “you cannot talk about mass transit”.

“Mass transit cannot be built on taxis, small buses and even the big buses are too expensive, they are for short runs. But for real effective mass transit where commuters are meant to pay very low rate, then of course the rail system is key,” he added.

The president explained further that that was why the government has plans for city rails, stressing that the target was at the national level, and to make sure that every state capital is linked up by the railway system.

While inspecting the Musa Yar’dua expressway, the president stated that though his tenure would end on May 29, he would make sure that the projects, which have attained 98 per cent completion would be completed before he leaves office.

“Be rest assured that this project will be completed before the 29th of May. When you visit a country, the airport and the roadblocks leading to the airport give you the first impression of the country and that’s why we are quite passionate about it, and we want to do a similar thing in Lagos”.

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