Sunday
Okobi and Kehinde Lawal in Lagos
In a bid to ensure the completion of 156.65
kilometres Lagos-Ibadan rail line by the China Civil Engineering Construction
Company (CCECC) before the end of 2018, the federal government has intensified
its supervision of the project in order to necessitate timely completion of the
project.
Speaking while inspecting the rail project in
Ibadan recently, the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, noted that
the laying of rail tracks has commenced while other environmental challenges
confronting the project are being resolved.
Amaechi also warned the company that its agreement
with Nigeria is not to build the railway and monopolise labour but build and
handover to Nigerians who will then maintain it.
The minister, who was not happy about the slow pace
of the construction work, frowned on the small number of labourers on site, and
ordered for more hands to ensure speedy completion.
According to him, "Go and employ more hands,
and I want to see more of qualified Nigerian civil engineers by the time I come
back on July 23. You are not to construct and stay, you are to construct and
hand over and leave the country because you are stealing our jobs.”
Before embarking on the inspection tour of the
156.65 km railway line and rising from three-hour technical meeting with the
company and the management of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), Amaechi
reiterated the federal government commitment to complete the project at the
said time of December 2018.
He, however, having expressed disappointment over
the delay being caused by the rainy season, noted: "I am not impressed
about the delay on laying of the tracks,
this is because we agreed for 11 kilometres during our last month meeting and
they have done only three.
“They have apologised and said by the next meeting
which will take place by July 23, they would have done 10 kilometers plus the
already three which will bring it to 13 km.”
Still on the reason for the delay, Amaechi told
journalists that reasons given by the company during the earlier technical
meeting was rain that slows down civil works, "but they are human beings
and they make mistakes too that is why they are trying to manage the situation
until dry season comes.”
The minister said he was impressed with the level
of cooperation by the water cooperation and the committee "we have put in
place to identify problem; they are our heroes.
"If you could remember, we said we had a
problem of 24 km water shortage and the committee argued saying we cannot be
sure until we go to the site, and they went and discovered it was only two km
that was short, and we directed CCECC to commence
construction at the affected
areas."
Ameachi also expressed the federal government
commitment to deliver the project against all odds by the end of the 2018, just
as he has said the problem is all about inadequate funding.
Speaking about the federal government commitment on
the job, he observed that all Nigerians know that it is committed to do so
"and that is why I said earlier that I'm fortunate to be the minister of
transportation because if you tell the president that the minister of
transportation wants to see him, I'm immediately allowed to see him."
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