How we got Chinese to build first W’African wagon assembly plant in Nigeria – Amaechi

How we got Chinese to build first W’African wagon assembly plant in Nigeria – Amaechi

Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, says the construction of West Africa’s first wagon assembly plant  in Nigeria inaugurated at Kajola, Ogun State in 2023, was not part of the Lagos-Ibadan railway project but was ‘smuggled’ in for the benefit of Nigerians.

He however lamented that the construction of the assembly plant had been abandoned.

He disclosed this in Lagos on Thursday as the keynote speaker at the Nigeria Transport Summit organised by the Transportation Correspondents Association of Nigeria (TCAN) with the theme: ‘Internodal Transport: Prospects and Challenges’.

The two-time governor of Rivers State said the plant was conceived to ensure Nigeria produces wagons and other rolling stocks needed for railway development in the country.
He said, “There are so many things we had in the rail project that most other countries didn’t have.

“If you get to Prof. Yemi Osinbajo Train Station in Kajola, there is a wagon rolling stock there. We launched that facility in 2023.
“The Kajola Locomotive and Wagon Rolling Stock was not part of the Lagos-Ibadan Rail project, but we insisted that the Chinese must build the facilitiy to enable us gain knowledge transfer in the area of wagon and rolling stock manufacturing.
“I told the Chinese contractors that I was going to give them a contract to supply Nigeria 200 rolling stock. I however told them that I won’t approve the contract if they don’t build a Wagon Assembly Plant in Nigeria.
“That after five years, they will start assembling and manufacturing Wagons and Rolling Stocks in Nigeria. The agreement was signed.
“The reason for doing this was to create employment and reduce foreign exchange expenditure because we will produce them here. Don’t forget that this was not part of the railway contract.
“I told the Chinese company that instead of giving me money, they should build a Transportation University, and they did.”
He said that the Kajola Locomotive and Wagon Assembly Plant was also one of the demands he made from the Chinese company, and it was also built.
Amaechi said, “I was in South Africa, and saw that they were producing locomotives. I asked them how they did it, and they said they awarded locomotive contract to the Chinese and asked them to build a plant for them so they will know how they did it.
“So, because I wanted Nigeria to also benefit the same way South Africa benefitted, I demanded that the Chinese build a wagon and rolling stock depot in Nigeria.
“This was done and was commissioned in 2023, but as I speak today, that facility has been abandoned. Nothing is happening there.
“Until we continue to invest in transportation, we might never get it right in this country.”