Lagos, other states get green light to run railways, generate power

State governments can now build and run railway systems independently.

This became a reality on Friday after President Muhammadu Buhari signed the amended railway bill into a law.

With the President’s assent, the amended Railway Act has been moved from exclusive legislative list to concurrent.

Senator Babajide Omoworare, Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), in a statement confirmed the development.

It was one of the 16 Constitution Amendment Bills the President signed into law.

It also includes granting state houses of assembly constitutional financial independence and power to license, generate, transmit and distribute electricity.

The signing of the amended railway act is coming barely a month after Lagos State Government inaugurated its first mass transit light train codenamed Blue Rail.

Incidentally, Buhari was given the opportunity to launch the completed new rail project.

The line is currently being test-run by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority for members of the public.

LAMATA could however not commence commercial operations of the Blue Rail before now because of the legislative encumbrance.

The state government plans to build seven rail lines linking different parts of the state over a period of time.

Some other state governments have indicated interest to start rail projects.

The Federal Capital Territory Authority’s undertaken rail project can now be operated independently.

Now that the bills have been assented to, and have become Acts of Parliament, the next step is the gazetting. This is the process by which the assented Acts are published in the Official Gazette of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He said other bills are to enable states generate, transmit, and distribute electricity in areas covered by the national grid; and for related matters.