The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, on Friday proposed the charge of manslaughter for anyone caught engaging in vandalism of railway facilities in the country.
The Minister made the proposition when he appeared on the ministerial media briefing organized by the Presidential Communications Team at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He also disclosed that the Kaduna-Kano railway project would be flagged off in two weeks.
He said applying stringent laws will curb the menace, which he said, could cause train derailment and killing unsuspecting passengers.
Amaechi lamented that railway clips are frequently stolen causing the country huge amounts of hard currency to replace.
He said Nigeria and China have signed a contract to manufacture train coaches locally in the country following an initial five-year period of just the local assembling of the components.
He also said that an agreement has been signed for Chinese contractors to build a rail component manufacturing factory in Kajola, Ogun state due to be commissioned in 2021 and as well, a University in Daura, KatsinaSstate “to help localise railway technology”.
He said 300 Nigerians have been sponsored to understudy rail technology in China and will be absorbed into the Transportation ministry on completion of their study.
Amaechi also assured that the Lekki deep sea port will be completed before the end of the present administration.