The Federal Government has said that the January, 2021 Commissioning of the Lagos-Ibadan railway with extension to Apapa Seaports remains sacrosanct.
The Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi disclosed this in Lagos at the weekend during an interactive session with Journalists at the end of the year inspection of the project.
Asked if this will be feasible, the Minister said: ” The only thing is for them to increase the pace of work because we are determined to commission in January. We will not commission only Ebute Meta to Ibadan. Agreed that there are two contracts. The first one is Ebute Meta to Ibadan, and the second one which was awarded later is Ebute Meta to Apapa Seaport.”
Still continuing, he said: “If you look at this place now, what is outstanding here is the landscaping and canopy in literarily all the stations. So we are going to put pressure that by January you must put manpower in place to complete these two basic assignments.”
The Minister further reiterated the need to complete the Ebuta Meta to Apapa Seaport railway as it will reduce the perennial gridlock witnessed in that axis. “We have to get cargoes to put in the trains to be transmitted to Ibadan. That way, we can reduce the gridlock”, he said.
On the complaint of exorbitant fares charged on the route, the Minster said it was reached with a consideration of all, especially the poor. He added that the services provided far outweighs the cost.
Speaking on the allegation that peoples’ properties are being destroyed without adequate compensation, the Minister said: “Government cannot just go ahead and demolish anybody’s thing without consulting them and paying compensation.”
The Minister was accompanied on the inspection trip by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) Board Chairman, Engr. Ibrahim Alhassan Musa, the Managing Director, (NRC), Engr. Fidet Okhire, alongside directors of the Ministry.
Eric Ojiekwe
D (PPR)
December 20, 2020
