Lagos-Ibadan Railway Celebrates Two Years of Operation: Helping Talent Cultivation

The grand moment of the 2nd anniversary of the operation of the Lagos-Ibadan Railway arrived on June 10, 2023. To celebrate the contribution of this railway to Nigeria's economic and social development, China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC), the construction company, held an online celebration event.

Evbuomwan Efosa Ernest, a member of CRCC's subsidiary China Civil Engineering (CCECC), works in the communication and signaling department of the Lagos-Ibadan Railway. In a video during the event he said, "Before joining this project, I lacked hands-on work experience. The company's training and guidance have proven invaluable, laying a solid foundation for my career development."

CRCC has been instrumental in training local employees, imparting business management and professional skills through centralized training programs and a mentorship model where Chinese technicians guide local staff. Another employee in the video, train driver Olanrewaju Amao, learned about standard driving procedures and the utilization of modern communication equipment during the company's practical training. He happily expressed through the video, "Now my income has increased, and delivering passengers safely to their destinations each day brings me immense satisfaction."

During the construction phase, the railway directly created over 4,000 job positions and hired more than 10,000 local employees during the peak period. In May of last year, CCECC Nigeria organized a hands-on training on railway operating for 180 local trainees. They learned the newest technology and standards of modern railway operation and management, providing a firm assurance for the functioning of the Lagos-Ibadan Railway.

"I feel pretty fortunate that both the Chinese leaders of the department and my Nigerian colleagues have helped me a lot. This has motivated me to learn faster and strive to improve," said Evbuomwan Efosa Ernest gratefully. He represents many local employees who have benefited from the Lagos–Ibadan Railway in the past two years; They have gained valuable job and career development opportunities through this project. Regarding the future development of the Lagos-Ibadan railway, CRCC expressed its commitment to uphold the principle of win-win cooperation and work hand in hand with the Nigerian people to make more outstanding contributions to its social and economic development with Nigeria.

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