Total Contract Sum of Lagos-Ibadan Rail Project Is Below US$2bn, Says FG

The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Mr. Sabiu Zakari, has revealed that the total contract sum of the Lagos-Ibadan railway project is US$1, 581,847,371.00 as against the US$2 billion being bandied in the news.

He also disclosed that the cost index/km is US$4.09 million as against the US$13.6 million being reported.

Zakari, in a statement by the acting Director of Press of the Ministry, Anastasia Ogbonna, on Wednesday in Abuja, noted that the clarification became imperative following insinuations by some media houses that the project was inflated over and above a non-existent one in Ghana, adding that information has it that at best, the said Ghanaian project is at conceptual stage as there are neither construction designs nor cost estimates.

The Permanent Secretary, who spoke with journalists in  Abuja, noted that the Lagos-Ibadan railway project is being executed in the spirit of transparency and accountability of which the present administration stands for

According to him, "to give credence to the fact that there is no basis for comparism as raised by the allegations, the Ghanaian government has since refuted the publication, describing it as “containing a lot of factual inaccuracies.”

He further explained that the Lagos-Ibadan railway is actually 386km since it is a double track rail line as against the 156km alleged which is just the distance from Ebute Meta (Lagos) and Ibadan terminal stations only.

Of note too, according to him, is the fact that railway project does not depend solely on the distance between terminal points but rely on various factors which include but not limited to terrain, core operation accessories, land acquisition and compensation, earthworks, bridges, culverts and stations.

Furthermore, he stated that Due Diligence was followed in the award of the contract as the project was approved by Federal Executive Council after a Certificate of No Objection by the Bureau of Public Procurement was issued.

The first segment of the project was approved in 2012 while the current administration approved the second segment to link Ebute Meta (Lagos) to Apapa port complex to ease the intractable perennial traffic gridlock.