Transport Minister Begins Railway Project Inspection, 2 Days After Swearing In
Oru Leonard
In about 48 hours after resumption of office, the Minister of Transportation in Nigeria, Hon. Chibuike Amaechi has swung into action with his first inspection tour of the Lagos-Ibadan Railway project.
The Minister who resumed the inspection in Lagos on Friday morning , August 23, from Ebute Metta to Apapa and then to Ibadan, alongside the Board Chairman, Nigerian Railway Corporation, Engr. Ibrahim Alhassan Musa and Managing Director Nigerian Railway Corporation, Engr. Fidet Freeborn Okhiria. The team looks determined to ensure the fast reconstruction and development of a robust rail infrastructure.
The inspection of the stations under construction from Apapa to Ibadan revealed that the slow pace of work was due to the absence of a minister to sign the IPCs that were needed for progress to be made in the two months he was away.
”There are IPCs that nobody could sign other than the minister so I will sign them on Monday”.
“On our part,We are owing them compensations for land acquisition and there are those approvals we need to get from the cabinet. There are over passes in Lagos, underpasses in Lagos like Agege which we can’t commence until we get approval from the cabinet. We will go to the cabinet quickly and get it.”, Amaechi said.
The Minister however said , in overall, considerable progress had been achieved with the project. He said the Lagos- Ibadan rail alone cannot remove the Apapa gridlock which will only be solved completely with the completion of Ibadan-Kano rail. He expressed optimism that when the rail gets to the seaport and goods are moved by trains,the gridlock will be over.
”Our target is to get to the seaport so we can evacuate the goods from the seaport “
Amaechi reiterated the need to source for materials for the project locally where possible even as he assured that Nigerians are being trained in China already to take over from the Chinese, adding that the Rail university Daura will provide more manpower for the railway in Nigeria.
The Minister said activities on the Lagos-Ibadan railway will soon commence fully.
Recall that, in two weeks to the end of the past administration, the reappointed minister at the last inspection tour of the project on the 10th of May, 2019, announced that the track laying on Lagos- Ibadan rail line would be completed by the end of May ahead of its scheduled three years completion date.
Speaking to the pressmen shortly after the inspection of the project in Ibadan, in May, the Minister of Transportation said the laying of the rail tracks had already gotten to 123 kilometres.
The had also maintained a monthly routine inspection of the rail line development since 2017.
