Lagos/ Ibadan Railway: Scepticism Trails Commissioning Of Project By April 2020
Oru Leonard
Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has expressed scepticism on the Lagos-Ibadan railway project, saying that it may not be ready for commissioning at the April set date due to some aspects of the project that may not be completed by then.
Amaechi who was accompanied by the Minister of State for Transportation, Gbemisola Saraki and Governor of Oyo State, Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde, said this yesterday during the January edition of the monthly inspection of the Lagos/Ibadan railway project.
The Minister who started yesterday’s inspection from Apapa Ports in Lagos had stated last year that the rail project would be completed in April 2020 and inaugurated in May this year.
According to him “Looking at the state of work in Apapa, completing the project in April doesn’t seem feasible, especially the extension of the rail line to the seaport.
“We have a lot of demolition to do; you have to deal with pipes, you have to deal with oil pipes even when you get to the seaport but in terms of tracks from Agege to Ibadan, it was smooth.
“The second contract is from Ebute-Metta to Apapa seaport, which is about 6 kilometres. And that’s where we have been having problems. If you have been following this inspection, we have always had problems with Lagos because of its urban nature.
“It’s a mixed bag. In some stations, you are impressed but in others, you are not. Last time we came here, we had to suspend work because they were using what we refer to as stone dust.
“Again, the second excuse they have is that their vessels are at the seaport and they cannot even berth because of the long queue. We will address it when we meet with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to see how they can come forward because we really need to complete this thing as soon as possible.
“On the April may deadline, I can’t answer that question. When you ask them (the contractors), they will still tell you it’s true.
Also addressing journalists at Ibadan, The Governor of Oyo State, His Excellency Seyi Makinde said it was a wake-up call for Oyo State since the rail track laying has reached Ibadan. “We need to brace up ourselves with what we have to do as a state government so that everything can be done smoothly”, he noted.
