Sunday Ode, Abuja
The federal government has said about $16 billion is required to actualize the modernisation of the eastern flank of the railway.The eastern flank starts from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri cutting across Aba, Owerri, Enugu, Umuahia to Markurdi, to Abakiliki, and to Awka, Lafia down to Bauchi, Gombe, Yola and to Damaturu and ends at Borno.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi while fielding questions from State House Correspondents after a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
According to him, President Buhari was very pleased with developments in the transport sector.He said “You are aware that we have gotten approval for the eastern flank of the Nigerian Railway modernisation which has to do with from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri cutting across Aba, Owerri, Enugu, Umuahia to Markurdi, to Abakiliki, and to Awka, Lafia down to Bauchi, Gombe, Yola and to Damaturu and ends at Borno.
“And also the other railway from Kano to Maradi in Niger Republic I need to brief the President about how we are progressing with negotiations of loans and others and our possible financiers.”I also need to brief him about the current activities going on in the Lagos/Ibadan axis and what we intend to do to complete the Lagos/Kano railway. It is basically about my office.
“There are approvals but we have to look for the money, the money is just not there. It is not easy, it is a total of about $16 billon and you don’t pluck $16 billion from the sky.He also disclosed that there are two deep seaports that were approved- the Bonny and Warri deep seaports.
“As for the Port Harcourt railway industrial park, we should also be able to get that done through PPP even though I doubt if we will be able to get railway as PPP because it is quite expensive,” the Minister explained.The Transport Minister further said there are plans to also dredge the Calabar seaport, through Public Private Partnership PPP.He stated that the problem of gridlock on the road leading to Apapa port in Lagos would be over by December.He said between now and December, it will bring in more coaches and locomotives to boost rail transportation across the country.
“The President sleeps and wakes up thinking about our railways; therefore I must always see him and tell him how far we have gone. Once he hears the progress that is being made, he feels happy. He is also very pleased with what we have done in terms of the narrow gauge, between now and December; we are bringing in more locomotives, coaches and wagons, to ensure efficiency in the narrow gauge. “We are expecting 10 for Kaduna-Abuja axis and another seven, which will hopefully go to Itakpe-Warii because we believe that by June, that axis should also come alive,”
“In terms of the narrow gauge, if not for a hitch, we would have commenced trucking cargo form Apapa seaport to Ebute-Metta-Lagos and takeaway the challenges we are having with that Apapa grid and bad road. That will happen before December,” Amaechi stated..
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