The Federal Government says it will this July approve the funding for the construction of its recently approved high speed rail line connecting Bonny to Port Harcourt.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Ajuri Ngelali, who disclosed this today via his verified Twitter handle @AjuriNgelali, said that funding for the rail line will be approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in July, 2020.

He further disclosed that the rail line will accompany the ongoing N120 billion 38 kilometre Bonny-Bodo Road project, and both are expected to be completed by third quarter of 2022.

According to Ngelali, the vision behind these key economic projects was to revolutionize gas distribution in Nigeria and open up Nigeria’s riverine region to massive industrialization.

“Accompanying the new presidentially approved Bonny-Port Harcourt High Speed Rail Line and ahead of schedule for August 2022 completion, this strategic N120bn link from Bonny Island’s NLNG to Nigeria’s mainland will revolutionize gas distribution in Nigeria and open up Nigeria’s riverine region to massive industrialization.

“It involves massive land reclamation with dredgers filling deep and wide creeks, restoring swamp lands to reinforced dry lands as work is going on.

“Because of the marshy wetlands, you will see that these roads are being elevated in a pyramid-like structure with deep, indented drainages on both sides to capture rain run-off all along the 38km road that comes with two new link bridges and a major bridge across Opobo Channel.”

Julius Berger Nigeria Limited is handling the construction of the first road link to Bonny Island in a highly challenging environment and soil conditions, which will connect the island community to Bodo and Bera in Gokana LGA, Ataba in Andoni LGA, and Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

Bonny Island, which is host to Nigeria’s foremost gas company, the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited gas liquefaction plant, also plays host to ExxonMobil’s Bonny River Terminal (BRT), and Shell Petroleum Development Company’s Bonny Crude Oil Terminal (BCOT).

Train 7, an expansion project for the plant is about to commence soon, which is expected to provide about 12,000 jobs, and increase the plant’s production output from 22 Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA) to 30 MTPA when completed.

The Bodo-Bonny road regarded as a milestone infrastructure development project for the advancement of the Niger Delta and a catalyst for the continued success of Bonny Island – a key industrial area in Nigeria tied to the economic development and general wellbeing of the nation as a whole – is being funded by the Nigeria LNG.