The Cross River State government has announced that it plans to compensate farmland owners affected by the proposed railway project.
Governor Bassey Otu disclosed this at the inaugural stakeholders conference of the Cross River State Government and Grandlitora Railway Project in Calabar on Friday
The announcement follows the collaboration involving the Cross River State government and some private investors.
The partnership to start the construction of a 365-kilometre of railway to be completed at an estimated cost of US$350 million was signed on August 15, 2024.
“The project which is one of the fruits yielded by the Investment Summit held in August 2023, at the Calabar International Convention Centre is a Public-Private Partnership funded initiative driven by Rinehooke Investments Ltd in partnership with the state government,” Otu said.
The governor who was represented at the event by his deputy, Peter Odey added that the conference was organized to present the 365 km railway project to stakeholders to make input where necessary to ensure its success.
“The railway project which will run from Bakassi to Obudu is designed in such a way that it will pass through almost all the local government areas with stopover stations in Ugep, Ikom and Ogoja,” he said.
“The government, hereby, solicits the co-operation of property owners along the railway route to allow for smooth construction and completion on time and according to specifications.
“The state is committed to addressing the transportation challenges to drive more traffic into the state.
“The state, in the next two months, will take delivery of four new aircraft to boost the fleet of its airline soon to be rechristened from CallyAir to CanaanAir to cater to the transportation needs of passengers and businesses in and out of the state.
“The airline which will have a regular flight from Calabar to Abuja and Calabar to Lagos daily will make Cross River the first state to run an inter-city airline in the country.”
The Chief Executive Officer of Grandlitora ESV, Imo Ekanem presented the project to the stakeholders on Friday.
Ekanem said the passenger and freight railway line which will start from Bakassi and terminate in Obudu has a timeline of three years.
According to him, the first six months to one year would be used for planning and land acquisition while the second would be for construction of the project which will be completed in the third year.
Ekanem further highlighted the benefits of the project, explaining that these include the provision of skilled and unskilled labor for Cross Riverians.
He stated that it will stimulate the economic growth of the communities, tourism development, investment attraction to the host communities and also improve the quality of life of the people.
