President Muhammadu Buhari has said the federal government is working seriously to open the first University of Transportation in Daura, Katsina State.
He stated that the intention of the university "is to ensure adequate turn out of graduates, technicians, artisans, researchers in different areas of transportation, especially railway transportation to guarantee the sustainability of the massive infrastructural provision of this administration on rail transportation."
He spoke in Lagos during the commissioning of the Wagon Assembly Plant in Kajola, Ogun State, the very first in West Africa equipped with a locomotive and rolling depot, which has the capacity to produce 500 wagons annually.
Represented by the Minister of Transportation, Hon. Muazu Sambo, Buhari said, "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 construction of the assembly plant was inaugurated in November 2019 by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo to boost local content in railway modernisation.
Daily Trust reports that the project was a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative of China Civil Engineering and Construction Corporation (CCECC) built into the 157-km Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge project.
According to Buhari, out of 368 various types of wagons needed and awarded to Messrs. CCECC, about 220 wagons would be produced at the Kajola Plant pending when it would be transformed to full wagon manufacturing plant.
