FG to commence work on Lagos-Calabar, Port Harcourt-Maiduguri rail lines soon

Chinazor Megbolu |

The Federal Government has said that work on Port Harcourt-Maiduguri, Kano-Maradi, Lagos-Calabar, Ibadan-Kano rail lines will commence soon.

The Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi made this known during the ministerial briefing on the activities of the federal ministry of transportation, in Abuja on Friday.

He stated that the federal government has tried all it could in a bid to solve the financial challenges facing rail projects in the country.

Amaechi further explained that the federal government is waiting for funds from China to resume the Ibadan to Kano rail lines, as well as waiting for cabinet approval for consulting shares for Port Harcourt to Maiduguri rail lines.

“We have awarded the following contracts and we are about to start and we have even tried to solve the financial problems.

“This is because we have the problem of having to hire consulting engineers. The ones we are about to start are Ibadan to Kano, and we are waiting for funds from China.

“We are about to start Port Harcourt to Maiduguri, we are waiting for the cabinet to approve consulting shares. We are also to start the Kano-Maradi and Lagos to Calabar,” Amaechi said.

He pointed out that President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered that all rail lines must connect with the seaports.

He also added that the Kano-Maradi rail line will be adjusted to link up with the Kano-Lagos rail so as to terminate at the Lagos seaports.

According to him; “one thing that is unique about these contracts is that the president early enough directed that all rail lines must stagnate at the sea ports.

“That is why there may be a bit of adjustment in the pricing of Kano-Maradi because we have to adjust it to link up to Kano-Lagos so that it can terminate at Lagos seaport”.