The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ministry of Transportation

  • Lagos-Ibadan rail project cost below $2b, says Fed Govt

    The Federal Government on Wednesday said the Lagos-Ibadan rail project cost less than $2 billion, contrary to other claims.

    Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transportation Sabiu Zakari said the total contract sum of the project is $1, 581,847,371.00 as against the $2billion alleged.

    He added that the cost index/km is $4.09 million as against the $13.6million also alleged.

    The ministry, in a statement by the Assistant Director of Press, Anastasia Ogbonna, said the project is being executed in the spirit of transparency and accountability.

    Zakari explained that the clarification became imperative, following insinuations that the project was inflated over and above the one in Ghana.

    Read Also: Photos: Ongoing repairs of Lagos rail tracks

    The permanent secretary also added that the Ghanaian project is at the conceptual stage, insisting that there are neither construction designs nor cost estimates.

    He explained that the Lagos-Ibadan railway is actually 386 kilometres since it is a double track rail line as against the 156 kilometres alleged, which is just the distance from Ebute Meta (Lagos) and Ibadan terminal stations only.

    According to him: “Railway project does not depend solely on the distance between terminal points but rely on various factors which include but not limited to terrain, core operation accessories, land acquisition and compensation, earthworks, bridges, culverts and stations.”

    The permanent secretary stated that due diligence was followed in the award of the contract as the project was approved by Federal Executive Council after a Certificate of No Objection by the Bureau of Public Procurement was issued.

  • Lagos-Ibadan rail’ll ready in June – Amaechi

    Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has assured that by early June this year, the rail transport system would ready for use between Lagos and Ibadan. The Lagos-Abeokuta rail had been completed earlier in the year as passengers were offered a three-month free ride. The period of free ride was however later shortened.

    Amaechi who spoke to some journalists over the weekend noted that his commitment to the full take off of rail transportation in Nigeria is aimed at making life easier and better for Nigerians. He undertakes rail inspection trips at least twice in a month. The Ghanaian government recently sent a team led by its Minister of Rail Development, Hon. Joe Ghartey, to come and understudy the progress being made in Nigeria’s rail projects.

    The Lagos-Ibadan rail project is being executed at the cost of $1.6 billion, which is being funded from the loan from the Chinese government. He explained that the hitherto abandoned Itakpe-Wari rail line has been completed and has commenced operation. It shall, for a start, be carrying 100 passengers per trip, until more coaches are purchased. The Itakpe-Warri rail line was abandoned for 34 years.

    READ ALSO: Human element affects port efficiency – Amaechi

    “It is one rail project that we did not borrow a dime to complete. President Muhammadu Buhari was and still enthusiastic in driving the rail project in Nigeria as a way of improving the nation’s economy. The Itakpe –Warri rail line was revived and completed with $200m. Presently, the Railway Village which was burnt is being rehabilitated, just as the Railway yard (which will comprise school, hospital and maintenance units) is being built in Agbor, Delta State,” he said.

    Amaechi further noted that the cost of land and other properties on the rail corridor have all gone up as many people are already scrambling to buy lands and properties along such places in anticipation of the economies that will be built within those areas.

  • Niger Assembly Frowns at Bogus N156.3M Spending

    Niger Assembly Frowns at Bogus N156.3M Spending

    The Niger state House of Assembly has frowned over the extra-budgetary and out of budgetary spending of the state Ministry of Transportation.

    The legislators gave their approval over the N156.3 million said to have been expended for the construction of three pedestrian bridges and N8.3 million to block U-Turns in Minna metropolis in 2017.

    The Ministry of Transportation during its budget defence told the Legislators that  yesterday said it expended N156.3 million for the construction of three pedestrian bridges and N8.3 million to block U-Turns in Minna metropolis in 2017.

    Giving an appraisal of projects done in 2017, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transportation, Abdullahi Usman Imam said that the pedestrian bridges which were 100 per cent completed were located at the College of Education junction,  Mobile roundabout and Kure Ultra-modern market.

    The Permanent Secretary also disclosed the installation of traffic lights in six locations across the state capital at N103.4 million adding that the ministry accessed N260 million out of N460 million budgeted for 2017.

    However, the House Committee on Transportation frowned at the high cost and inflation of contracts by the Ministry accusing the ministry of extra-budgetary and out of budgetary spending.

    According to the House Committee Chairman, Honorable Umar Mohammed Jiya, the pedestrian bridges were approved to be constricted at N81 million while N25 million was approved for the installation of traffic lights adding that the blockage of U-Turns was not approved in the 2017 budget.

    He added that the contract for the close up of U-Turns was awarded at N6.8 million while the ministry presented N8.2 million as the amount at which the contract was awarded.

    A member of the Committee,  Abdullahi Adamu Mamagi said that there is no moral justification for the construction of pedestrian bridges adding that the bridges are not being utilized adding that the money should have been used for other needs.

    The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transportation also disclosed that the ministry intends to expend N87 million for street identification marks in Minna, Suleja, Bida and Kontagora and N98 million for the construction of road billboards.

    This was overruled by the Committee who said that the concept do not have direct impact on the people adding that the proposed amount would be directed to other uses that would be beneficial to the people.

    The House Committee had to postpone the budget defence due to some discrepancies they discovered which could not be substantiated by the staff of the Ministry of Transportation.

     

  • Ministry of Transportation pilots bicycle riding in FCT

    Ministry of Transportation pilots bicycle riding in FCT

    Ministry of Transportation says the National Council on Transportation has approved the commencement of a ‘bicycle riding’ project, as a means of transportation in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi told newsmen at the end of the National Council on Transportation on Monday in Sokoto.

    He said that the introduction of bicycles as a means of transportation would reduce congestion on the road and also improve the health of the riders.

    “National Council on Transportation is a policy making Council, if nothing else; we approved that we should do a pilot project on bicycle riding in FCT.
    “This is because Abuja is the only city that has facility for bicycle riding.

    “For other states who want to do it, we must provide facility before they can proceed with it; we want to separate them from the roads because some motorists are impatient.

    “So, we decided that we do it in Abuja because if you check, nearly all the roads in Abuja, there are lanes for bicycle.

    “Any other state that wants to go ahead can do that but they must provide lanes for bicycle so that we do not have numerous accidents,” he said.

    He said that using bicycles as a means of transportation was not new adding that countries including in China, UK and others already using it.

    Amaechi, who described the project as an investment, said it would also help in exercise and reduction in the number of passengers using other forms of transportation including cars within the cities.

    Commenting on other project, he said that the ongoing rail projects would really boost the economy.

    According to him, the Lagos-Ibadan railway construction would need about 150,000 workers before its completion.

    “Construction alone that is going on between Lagos-Ibadan would really boost the economy.

    “The railway work that is going on there will need about 150,000 workers and when it is done, the business it would generate would help employ people.”

  • Southeast not excluded from railway upgrade – Ministry

    Southeast not excluded from railway upgrade – Ministry

    The Ministry of Transportation on Friday dismissed fears that the Southeast will not benefit from the ongoing upgrading of the country’s railways.

    The project is to be financed with a $5.851 billion loan from China’s Exim bank.

    The ministry in a statement issued by its Director of Public Relations, Yetunde Sonaike, said no section of the country is left out of the railway upgrading.

    “The Federal Ministry of Transportation wishes to state clearly that the south-east geo-political zone has not been excluded from the Federal Government ongoing rail projects,” she said in an apparent response to the decision of the Senate to summon the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, to come and explain why the eastern corridor of the country’s rail lines was excluded from the proposed loan.

    “The two major rail projects of the federal government are the Coastal Rail Project from Lagos – Calabar, which traverse Lagos –Shagamu -Ore-Benin City – Sapele – Warri – Yenogoa.

    “With siding to Otuoke – Port Harcourt- Aba- Uyo – Calabar and branch line from Benin City Abudu – Onitsha, including Onitsha rail bridge. Lagos – Kano rail project will traverse Lagos – Abeokuta – Ibadan –Oshogbo – Ilorin – Jebba – Minna – Kaduna – Zaria-Kano, with branch line from Minna – Abuja and Abuja – Kaduna.

    “The Federal Ministry of Transportation wishes to state categorically that the loan from China Exim Bank will be used to fund the following three segments from the two major rail projects. Lagos – Ibadan, from Lagos – Abeokuta – Ibadan with extension to Apapa Port Complex with the segment two of Lagos – Kano.

    “Kano – Kaduna, segment 3A of Lagos – Kano – Calabar – Port Harcourt, which will pass through Port Harcourt – Aba-Uyo – Calabar with extension to Onne Deep Sea Port,” the statement added.