Amaechi Holds Valedictory Press Briefing , Congratulates president for interest towards rail way transport system

Oru Leonard

The Hon. Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi on Thursday, May 23, 2019 held a valedictory press briefing in Abuja where he took time to review the operations and achievements of the Federal Ministry of Transportation during his tenure.

He described the operations of the Nigerian Rail Corporation at the Abuja Kaduna axis as a huge success but cautioned on the yielding to public demand of putting more coaches on the rail line. He explained that 200 upsurge in passenger patronage was as a result of the increase in crime at the Abuja-Kaduna road.  He noted that if the security issue along the Abuja- Kaduna express way was resolved, the patronage will come down drastically and the coaches allocated to the route will be useless. He advised the NRC management and the oncoming Minister for Transportation to be careful in increasing the number of coaches in the Abuja- Kaduna route.

The Honorable minister congratulated the president for his interest and effort towards the rail way transport system in Nigeria.

The Minister also stated that On  China’s request that Nigeria should open a sinking fund and an escrow account to ease repayment of the loans for the construction of rail, Hon. Amaechi urged the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Sabiu Zakari to make sure that the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) complies with the request of the Chinese government in opening the required accounts. He also instructed that all the money from Kaduna-Abuja railway every month, be put in the account after cost of operations have been removed.

“Whatever remains, let us start paying back, let’s develop a sinking fund or an escrow account where we pay that money into so that we can on our own start the payment before the Federal Government starts paying.

“Why I say this is because when we got to China, they insisted because of what they experienced with Kenya, Somalia and Sudan on their inabilities to pay back. They insisted that we must open two kinds of accounts; an escrow account and a sinking fund account.

“The sinking fund account will require that every year, we will put money there which is for the repayment of the loan, while the money for the management of that operation will be put in the escrow account”, he explained.

On the Lagos- Ibadan axis, he said that the CCECC has reached km 137 as at two days ago when he visited. That working at 4km a day, they will be able to finish by the end of the month and that a company will be establish now to produce 50 percent of the coaches, which will create jobs to Nigerians and  there will be  massive training to empower Nigerians.

He also said that President Muhammad Buhari has directed that  the ministry should also focus on the available narrow guage in the country to make them functional in order to ease transportation issues in the country.

He stated that Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) Oron, was just a business centre where the community decided who got what, but when he came in  there was sanity, accountability, capacity building and human development in the institution.

The NPA improved as the period of importers needed to clear goods has improved and that the National Single Window (NSW) has been approved by the Cabinet after three years of proposal.

He noted that Maritime environment improved as NIMASA was meant to play the mandated role of regulating instead of engaging in award of contracts. He said that the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) was neglected but that the top on the list now in the scale of preference is railway lines.

The Minister thanked the Permanent Secretary and all Directors of the Federal Ministry of Transportation for their understanding and support in his drive to deliver the rail project.

Guests at the occasion were full of appreciation for the great work done by the Minister. He was presented with a framed photo album of activities captured during the inspections and Saint Michael the Arch Angel portrait, by the Abuja Transport and Aviation Correspondents Association (ATACA).