Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has expressed
scepticism on the Lagos-Ibadan railway project, saying that it may not be ready
for commissioning at the April set date due to some aspects of the project that
may not be completed by then.
Amaechi who was accompanied by the Minister of State for
Transportation, Gbemisola Saraki and Governor of Oyo State, Oluseyi Abiodun
Makinde, said this yesterday during the January edition of the monthly
inspection of the Lagos/Ibadan railway project.
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The Minister who started yesterday’s inspection from Apapa Ports in Lagos had stated last
year that the rail project would be completed in April 2020 and inaugurated in
May this year.
According to him “Looking at the state of work in Apapa, completing the project in April doesn’t seem feasible, especially the extension of the rail line to the seaport.
Amaechi with his Team inspecting Terminal
“We have a lot of demolition to do; you have to deal with
pipes, you have to deal with oil pipes even when you get to the seaport but in
terms of tracks from Agege to Ibadan, it was smooth.
“The second contract is from Ebute-Metta to Apapa seaport,
which is about 6 kilometres. And that’s where we have been having problems. If
you have been following this inspection, we have always had problems with Lagos
because of its urban nature.
“It’s a mixed bag. In some stations, you are impressed but
in others, you are not. Last time we came here, we had to suspend work because
they were using what we refer to as stone dust.
“Again, the second excuse they have is that their vessels are at the seaport and they cannot even berth because of the long queue. We will address it when we meet with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to see how they can come forward because we really need to complete this thing as soon as possible.
Oyo state Makinde and Minister of Transport Amaechi
“On the April may deadline, I can’t answer that question.
When you ask them (the contractors), they will still tell you it’s true.
Also addressing journalists at Ibadan, The Governor of Oyo
State, His Excellency Seyi Makinde said it was a wake-up call for Oyo State
since the rail track laying has reached Ibadan. “We need to brace up ourselves
with what we have to do as a state government so that everything can be done
smoothly”, he noted.
(NewsDotAfrica)
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