President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday said his administration has managed the country’s economy to become the greatest in Africa and one of the largest in the world.

He said this in Port Harcourt at the inauguration of Enugu-Port Harcourt-Enugu intercity train service.

‘’We have managed the economy such that it has risen to be the greatest economy in Africa and one of the largest in the world,’’ he said.

The president who was represented by his deputy, Alhaji Namadi Sambo, said his government has changed the course of history in the country.

“ We have changed the course of history with the railway system in the last 30 years from the neglected sector to a rehabilitated and revitalised one by rehabilitating the existing narrow gauge railway lines, its operations and maintenance,’’ Jonathan said.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), he said the administration would construct coastal railway line from Lagos to oil producing states of the Niger Delta and link up commercial cities in the South-east.

He said the Abuja-Kaduna rail project was at 90 per cent completion stage while the Warri-Itakpe project was at an advanced stage.

“We have introduced programmes that have impacted positively on the lives of the people and addressed key issues in our national agenda,’’ he said.

The president said he has fulfilled all his campaign promises he made to Nigerians during the 2011 presidential election.

In his contribution, the Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar, said the construction of Lagos-Ibadan railway line would commerce soon.

The Minister said the Warri-Itakpe rail project was progressing steadily.

He added that more than 90 per cent of the existing narrow gauge rail lines in the country was being rehabilitated, noting that the railways were very significant to the country’s economy.

The Managing Director of Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Mr. Adeseyi Sijuwade, noted that the rehabilitation of Enugu-Port Harcourt railway had many challenges.

He said 30 metres of the rail line was washed out by Aba gully erosion and explained that five metres wide reinforced concrete culvert of more than 366 metres long had resolved the problem.

According to him, “The Aba mountain of refuse’’ of about five metres high was part of the challenges while a section of the track was buried.

He explained that the challenges had made train services impossible in the South-east since 2009.