A former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi yesterday revealed that his former principal and former President Muhammadu Buhari opposed his decision to establish University of Transportation in Daura, Katsina State.
Daura is the country home of Buhari who was President from 2015 to 2023.
He spoke as the Keynote Speaker during the Transport Summit organised by the Transportation Correspondents Association of Nigeria (TCAN) with the theme, "with the theme, "Intermodal Transport: Prospects and Challenges."
He stated that there were also hues and cries over the flag-off of the Kano-Maradi rail line, reiterating that he shunned criticisms over the project because it is an ECOWAS corridor.
Amaechi recalled that Buhari was one President any minister would desire to work with, saying he did not interfere in the work of any minister.
He stated that the intermodal transportation system would become a mirage without an efficient cargo system driven by the railway.
"Key to economic development is transportation. When I made the decision to fix Lagos-Ibadan...one good thing anybody who wants to be minister would want to get is to get President Buhari as the President of the country. He does not interfere. If anybody said, 'Oh Amaechi did University of Transportation in Daura to please Buhari, he didn't even attend the groundbreaking ceremony and his argument was that I took University to my village," he said.
Amaechi stated that he took the decision to establish the university in Daura "because of the level of poverty in the North," adding that he was considering Daura and Zaria, Kaduna State before he settled for the former.
He also recollected that it took three years before Buhari gave his nod for the Kano-Maradi rail line
"Again, what is his argument? The train would pass through Daura, they would say I took it to Daura. I said, "Look, the only reason why I am constructing it was for two reasons." The first reason was because it is an ECOWAS corridor.
"By the time we came in, former President Goodluck Jonathan had already done the design. The second reason is that we are not competing favourably with Ivory Coast, Ghana and the Benin Republic because landlocked states use those states to transport their goods..."
Amaechi also recalled how he was battled by some cabals for establishing a joint security patrol on the waterway through the deep blue project.
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The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, represented by Mr Yusuf Muhammad, Director of General Service in the Ministry noted that efficiently linking the ports with roads, rail, and inland waterways was key to optimising the movement of goods and enhancing trade.
Oyetola said, "Our vision is to develop a seamless transport system where goods can flow smoothly between ships, trucks, and trains, boosting trade and economic growth.
"Intermodal transportation also aligns with our broader objective of reducing congestion, lowering carbon emissions, and enhancing the overall efficiency of our logistics chain."
