In what seemed like a farewell gathering,
contractors handling the construction of various railway projects in the
country have commended the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, for his ‘outstanding
performance’ in the rail subsector.
The commendation is coming few weeks to the end of
the first tenure of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Speaking at a steering committee meeting of the
Lagos-Ibadan railway project in Papalanto, Ogun State, last Saturday, Project
Manager of Chinese Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC), Mr. Xia
Lijan, said Amaechi has, without doubts, demonstrated leadership skills in
championing the construction of the rail projects.
He said from the track laying works to the
production of beams on the Lagos-Ibadan project, the minister conformed to the
contract agreement and demonstrated honesty in its totality.
According to him, “We wish to recall March 7, 2017,
when Vice President Yemi Osinbanjo performed the ground-breaking ceremony of
the 156 kilometre Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge railway project that marked the
commencement of regular monitoring, supervision and coordination by the minister.
"Appreciating CCECC railway engineering
excellence and technological know-how, the minister without doubts,
demonstrated his wonderful leadership skills and workaholic dictates in
championing the cause of these great feats we have achieved.
"From the track laying works, production of
beams for rail bridges, earthwork solidification and other segments of the railway
engineering, the minister excellently monitored them in conformity with the
contract agreement which makes me believe that he may not be far from being a
hidden railway technocrat. He has really showcased his visionary traits, as he
fully demonstrated honesty and total commitment to the development aspirations
of President Buhari."
On his part, Public Relations (PR) consultant to
CCECC, Mr. Akinwoye Abdulraouf, said Amaechi demonstrated quality leadership by
ensuring that the right things were done properly.
"Amaechi has performed wonderfully well. He is
a great man, and the history of standard gauge rail in Nigeria will not be
complete without the mention of his name. He is a quintessential leader,
visionary and a wonderful minister. He never gets tired of working and he puts
his job first.
“Amaechi was always at the forefront during the
track laying processes. Then, we had issues with host communities and Amaechi
was at the forefront to handle the issue. He is an uncommon personality, he has
proved his mettle," he stated.
In his
remark, the Technical Design Manager, Techniques Engineering and Architectural
Marketing (TEAM), Mr. Saad Loufti, described Amaechi as a courageous leader
with so much vigour, saying: "You are always ready for the job and you are
full of strength. Our prayer is for you. We commend your courage and
proactiveness, you have done wonderfully well."
Amaechi, while responding to the accolades, thanked
the contractors, the media and all stakeholders who were part of the team that
worked tirelessly with him in achieving success in the rail sector.
According to him, "We had an objective to
achieve the completion of the construction of the railway line from Ibadan to
Lagos State before the past election, so we can use the two coaches and locomotives
we had to convey passengers from Iju in Lagos State to Abeokuta, and we have
achieved that. We have started pressurising the contractors to get to Ibadan,
and I hope it will be possible to ride on the train from Iju to Ibadan on May
28. I thank journalists and all of you who participated in the process, and I wish
you luck."
However, in an
earlier interview with journalists shortly after inspecting the Ebute-Meta to
the Apapa end of the Lagos-Ibadan railway project, Amaechi explained that until
the federal government extends the construction of the standard gauge rail from
Ebute-meta to the Apapa seaport, only three hundred thousand cargoes will be
conveyed yearly with the narrow gauge which is currently operational.
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