Omokri Alleges Why Buhari Is Building Multi-billion Dollar Railway To Niger Republic

Former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, has alleged that the multi-billion dollar railway project from Nigeria to the Niger Republic was President Muhammadu Buhari’s plan to leave a legacy for his father’s clans.

The Human Rights activist and book writer further said that the president is replicating his actions, pointing at how Buhari voted for a Nigerienne against a Nigerian, during an election to elect a new leader for the defunct Organisation for African Unity in 1985.

Naija News reports that Omokri made the observations on his verified Instagram page on Thursday morning.

Omokri’s post read: “The economy of Anambra is 2 times larger than the economy of Niger. Research it. Niger has a GDP of less than $15 billion. Yet, Amaechi and Buhari are building a $billion railway for them when Anambra hasn’t even smelt a railway. And you wonder why APC lost Anambra? It makes no economic sense for Nigeria to be building that railway.

“It is only being prioritised because Buhari wants to leave a legacy for his father’s people. The same way he voted for a Nigerienne against a Nigerian, during an election to elect a new leader for the defunct Organisation for African Unity in 1985.”

Nigeria’s Minister for Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, had said earlier this year that he had to personally travel to the Niger Republic and beg before the country allowed Nigeria to build the $1.95bn railway from Kano State into Maradi in their country, Naija News recalls.

Amechi who was justifying the move by the federal government to spend such huge amounts in constructing railway lines into another country explained that the Niger Republic is a land-locked country that has to interact with other countries around it to move goods to and fro the country.

The minister, however, explained that the Niger Republic prefers to transact its businesses through Benin Republic, Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Togo.

He added that the country cited issues of insecurity, poor road infrastructure as well as extortion by security agents as reasons it can’t conduct business with Nigeria.

But with the railway project, expected to run from Kano to Dutse- Katsina through Jibia and end at Maradi in the Niger Republic, it would help Nigeria to compete and this would expand the economy.