NRC Commences Cement Haulage

The Nigerian Railways Corporation (NRC), in partnership with Larfage Cement Nigeria Pic., has commenced cement haulage from Ewekoro to its depots in Ijoko, Ogun and Agege, Lagos State.

Mr Rasheed Gbadamosi, the NRC Manager, Western District, disclosed this at a news briefing in Ibadan on Monday.

He said that an agreement to this effect was reached between the managements of the NRC and that of Larfage Cement Plc on December 13.

“I want to formally inform you that in realisation of the outcome of this meeting, the Western District commenced the first movement on December 23,” he said

He said that 300 tonnes of cement was ‘expected to be moved daily from Monday to Saturday, amounting to 1,800 tonnes weekly.

“We hope to increase this capacity as soon as there is demand for it by Larfage authority. This traffic is backed with about 24 covered wagons and one of our latest locomotives.”

Gbadamosi said arrangements had been concluded to move cement from Ewekoro to Abeokuta, Ibadan, Iwo, Ede, Osogbo, Ikirun, Offa and Ilorin in the first quarter of 2011.

Gbadamosi expressed delight in the rehabilitation of rail tracks across the country.

He expressed confidence that the Chinese engineering firm handling the project would meet the deadline.

’Train services have commenced in Iddol Apapal Agbado/Ijoko Mass transit; Challawa Mass Transit in Kano; Kaduna Intra City Train Services; and Jos-Bukuru Mass transit, among others,” he added.

He opined that the rail renaissance in Nigeria would become a reality in the first quarter of the New Year.

It would be recalled that Lafarge Cement Nlgena PIc., formerly WAPCO, was established in 1959.

Its first factory built in Ewekoro, Ogun in 1960 while its factory in Sagamu, also in Ogun, was established in 1978.