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Tag: Eastern rail line

  • Amaechi explains delay over Eastern rail line

    The Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, has denied  the alleged exclusion of Eastern rail line from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri in the ongoing nationwide rail construction and modernisation.

    He made the denial when he appeared before the Senate Joint Committee on Land Transport, and Local and Foreign Debts, chaired by Sen. Gbenga Ashafa.

    Amaechi said contrary to the claim of exclusion, there was only delay in the execution of the project.

    He said the delay was due to bureaucratic bottlenecks caused by the Public Procurement Act.

    According to him, the Public Procurement Act is very tedious, stressing “it takes a long time to conclude the process”.

    Amaechi added that railway project was capital intensive, noting that the Federal Government did not have sufficient fund to implement the project across the country at the same time.

    He explained that following the paucity of funds, government decided to adopt a systematic approach in the project execution.

    He further explained that the  government could only apply funds to projects as loans were approved.

    “The president insists on rule of law and the law passed by the National Assembly in terms of public procurement is very tedious and not easy to conclude; it takes a very long time.

    “We have met with the consortium handling the project for nearly two years.

    “Secondly, in that meeting we had in 2017,  I reassured our people that they are not more Igbo than I am.

    “Let me make it clear, the country does not have the resources to do railway in every village. It is not possible. 2.7 billion dollars is one trillion Naira.

    “So, for the railway you want to do from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri is about 12 billion dollars and that is one year budget of Nigeria.

    “Therefore, everything is done systematically. We cannot do all the projects at the same time.

    “What we are doing is as we get the loan approved, we execute the project. Currently, we are following due process for the one of South-East.”

    He also said:“Currently, we have placed an advertisement on the Eastern Rail lines.

    “Sometime in 2017, we placed an advertisement for rail from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri and that is what the law expects us to do. We cannot skip the law on construction of standard gauge.

    “Again, even the narrow gauge construction does not only concern the the South East.

    “The same narrow gauge trasverses Port Harcourt to Maiduguri.

    “I do not know what other thing the Senate expects from me on this project except to say that it is work in progress.”

    On the insinuation that General Electric (GE) had pulled out of the project, Amaechi explained that the company handed over the contract to another company because it was no longer in the transport business.

    “It (GE) handed over the job to another sister company in the consortium which is Trans-net.

    “We are at the verge of signing the contract agreement and it is when we finish signing the consortium agreement that we will begin to look for money to execute the project.

    “The total cost of the project is 2.7 billion dollars and it is a private partnership agreement,” he said.

    The Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Gbenga Ashafa, urged the minister to ensure that no section of the country was excluded from the rail project.

    The Senate had mandated its committee on Land Transport as well as Local and Foreign Debts, to summon the minister.

    The joint committee was  mandated to get clarification on the alleged exclusion of Eastern rail line in the nationwide railway projects across the country, captured in the foreign loan obtained by President Muhammadu Buhari for that purpose.

    Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP-Abia)  had raised a similar motion at plenary in 2017.(NAN)

  • Senate invites Amaechi over Eastern rail line

    THE Senate yesterday invited Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi to appear before its joint committee on Land Transport and Local and Foreign Debts over alleged exclusion of eastern rail lines.

    Amaechi is summoned to tell the upper chamber why the eastern rail corridor, Port Harcourt to Maiduguri, was allegedly excluded in the scheme of rail expansion and modernisation.

    The invitation of the minister followed the adoption of a motion by Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu on alleged exclusion of the eastern rail corridor in the ongoing modernisation of rails.

    Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe raised a similar motion last year when he prayed the Senate to put on hold a foreign loan for rail lines due exclusion of eastern rail corridor in the rail expansion plan.

    Amaechi told the Senate that there was no plan to exclude the Southeast area in the rail modernsation scheme.

    He assured that the area will be included in the 2018 borrowing plans of the Federal Government.

    Ekweremadu said yesterday that the exclusion of the eastern corridor in the rail modernisation scheme is not good for the country.

    He urged the Senate to intervene and prevail on the Federal Government to take steps to include in the rail line expansion project.

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts, Senator Shehu Sani, who supported the motion, said it appears there is no commitment on the part of the Federal Government to pay attention to eastern part in the rail development programme.

    Senate Leader, Ahmad Lawan, who also supported the motion, noted that General Electric, which ought to have handled the project, has not abandoned it.

    Senate President Bukola Saraki said the issue of equity should be considered in the distribution of railway projects.

  • Senate summons Amaechi over eastern rail line

    The Senate Wednesday invited the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, to appear before its joint committee on Land Transport and Local and Foreign Debts over alleged exclusion of eastern rail lines.

    Amaechi is summoned to tell the upper chamber why the eastern rail corridor, Port Harcourt to Maiduguri, was allegedly excluded in the scheme of rail expansion and modernization.

    The invitation of the minister followed the adoption of a motion by Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, on alleged exclusion of the eastern rail corridor in the ongoing modernization of rails in the country.

    Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe raised a similar motion last year when he prayed the Senate to put on hold a foreign loan for rail lines in the country due exclusion of eastern rail corridor in the rail expansion plan.

    Amaechi told the Senate that there was no plan to exclude the South East area in the rail modernization scheme.

    He assured that the area will be included in the 2018 borrowing plans of the Federal Government.

    Ekweremadu said yesterday that the exclusion of the eastern corridor in the rail modernization scheme is not good for the country.

    He urged the Senate to intervene and prevail on the Federal Government to take steps to include in the rail line expansion project.

    He noted that there must be fairness and equity in the distribution of projects for people to feel a sense belonging.

    Ekweremadu said: “I want to bring to the notice of the Senate, the deliberate exclusion of the Eastern rail line in the ongoing construction/modernisation nationwide. This is not good for our country. It shows that some parts of the country are deliberately ignored.

    “I must commend the efforts of the Federal Government in ensuring that rail lines are developed, but it is also unfair to exclude the Eastern part of the country. Our people will suffer as a result of this.”

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts, Senator Shehu Sani, who supported the motion said that it appears there is no commitment on the part of the Federal Government to pay attention to eastern part in the rail development programme.

    Sani said: “The motion raised by Ekweremadu is apt and right. The last time we had an interaction with the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, he promised to include the Port Harcourt to Maiduguri rail line in the ongoing borrowing plans.

    “It is now clear to us that there is no commitment to do that. That axis has a lot economic benefits to Nigeria. The withdrawal of General Electric is worrisome. Some of my colleagues in the committee appended their signature to the plan to construct Lagos to Kano rail line. But with this development, I am sure that they are regretting.”

    Also Delta South senator, James Manager, wondered why the minister, who hails from the area, has chosen to exclude his place because of political differences.

    Manager said, “We are talking of railway and you are excluding the business communities in Nigeria. When you talk about business in Nigeria, the East is key. The government has decided to exclude that part. This is one issue every Nigerian is interested in. I am from Delta State and I am sure that my state too will be excluded.

    “Ironically, the Minister of Transport is from Port Harcourt. Local politics aside, he will return home after leaving office. We need to invite the Minister to explain to the relevant committees why he has decided to exclude some parts,” he said.

    Senate Leader, Ahmad Lawan, who also supported the motion, noted that General Electric, which ought to have handled the project, has not abandoned it.

    “I am supporting this motion. But let me clarify that the axis given to General Electric has not been abandoned. General Electric will have its subsidiary handling that axis. My concern is that, General Electric is designed to renovate the narrow gauge and not to modernise. Let there be justice and fairness in this issue.

    “President Muhammadu Buhari has given an express order that every state capital in Nigeria must have a rail line. Let the Senate work with the other side to ensure that the Eastern Line gets this project done,” he argued.

    Senate President, Bukola Saraki, said that the issue of equity should be considered in the distribution of railway projects in the country.

  • Eastern rail line for completion by 2013 –Minister

    Eastern rail line for completion by 2013 –Minister

    THE rehabilitation of the eastern railway line from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri will be completed by the end of this year, Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar has said. The minister made the disclosure while receiving Governors of Kogi and Anambra States, Captain Idris Wada and Peter Obi in his office in Abuja. A statement by the Deputy Director (Press &Public Relations), Mrs. Yetunde Sonaike, said stated that the 25-year Master plan is not sacrosanct in principle, and stressed that the request of the governors will be looked into by technical experts in the ministry. It stated that the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) will also collaborate to prevent reoccurrence of the tragedy witnessed in Oron (Akwa Ibom State) which led to boat mishap in the state. The statement reads in part: “The Governors had come to the Minister to solicit for the inclusion of Onitsha and Ayangba in the 25- year rail development Master plan developed for the country.” According to the statement, the governors emphasized the importance of trade along the Onitsha- Ayangba- Abuja axi, and stressed the need to include the axis in the Master plan to facilitate trade development.