The Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC)
has congratulated the Federal Government and the Minister of Transportation,
Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, on the impending commencement of the Lagos - Ibadan
and Lagos - Calabar railway projects.
The commendation was contained in a statement issued on Sunday in
Port Harcourt, signed by the State Chairman, Chief (Dr.) Davies Ibiamu Ikanya.
“With the commencement of work on the N458bn Lagos - Ibadan new
rail project by February 2017, the Federal Government under the watch of
President Muhmmadu Buhari has once again demonstrated that governance is all
about providing good life for its citizenry,” the party said.
The new Lagos - Ibadan rail, spanning 156.65 kilometres, is a
double line, which is the first phase of a new Lagos - Kano standard gauge
line. The new line, will be completed in 18 months, would coexist with the old
narrow gauge rail line. The project has been awarded to the China Civil
Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), and is being jointly funded by
the Nigerian and Chinese governments. It will gulp about $1.5bn (N458bn). The
Chinese government promises to release its counterpart fund for the project by
the end of January. Amaechi has said that the project would be completed in two
years, adding that the railways would be connected to the seaports.
Rivers APC noted that apart from this great feat, arrangements
have been concluded to start the construction of the Lagos - Calabar and Kaduna
- Kano rail lines. The party said: “To demonstrate the stuff that he is made
of, Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, renegotiated the
contract downwards before signing on behalf of the Federal Government. The
contract was awarded by the regime of former President Goodluck Jonathan for
$11.917bn but when Amaechi took over as the Minister of Transportation, he
renegotiated with CCECC and succeeded in reducing the contract sum down to
$11.117bn, thus saving the country $800m. That is Amaechi for you – the man
whom Wike, the misguided Governor of Rivers State, is doing everything possible
to pull down.”
For the Lagos - Calabar rail line, CCECC would commence the
construction of the first segment with Calabar - Uyo and Aba - Port Harcourt,
and this will include all the seaports on these routes. The entire contract,
however, covers Calabar, Uyo, Port Harcourt, Yenagoa, Otuoke, Ughelli, Warri,
Benin, Agbor, Asaba, Onitsha and back to Benin, Ore, Sagamu and Lagos.
“Once these revolutionary projects are completed, we are convinced
that Nigeria will never be the same again as far as transpiration and movement
of goods within the country is concerned. This will go a long way to prove that
Nigerians never made mistake in voting in APC to over the reins of governance
of this country and that Amaechi should be accorded the heroic status he
deserves,” the statement said.
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