Buhari will commission Lagos-Ibadan railway in 2021 - Amaechi declares
- FG has assured Nigerians that the Lagos-Ibadan railway will be ready for use by next year
- The minister of transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, made this known on Saturday, October 17
- Amaechi said that the contractors had done their best with the project
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Rotimi Amaechi, the minister of transportation, has said that the Lagos-Ibadan railway would be commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari in January 2021.
Vanguard reports that the minister said the railway axis would improve movement for cargoes and passengers in the country.
Legit.ng gathered that Amaechi made this known during an oversight visit from Lagos to Ibadan to inspect the ongoing construction of the standard gauge in Ibadan on Saturday, October 17.
He said that the contractors had done their best with the project while attributing weather conditions as one of the challenges being faced by the contractors.
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Amaechi said:
“We have cooperation from the various communities along with the standard gauge construction; the contractors have done what they could do but the problem is a change in weather.
“They couldn’t work beyond that period, besides that, I think the contractors have done well. The construction is coming to an end; they are trying to beat the target they gave the ministry of transportation because there is a huge improvement. Is there any facility in Nigeria that is better than the one in Ebute-Meta."
Amaechi said that the transition period between now and January would enable the federal government to acquire the right of way for the Lagos-Ibadan route.
He said that it could be difficult to embark on perimeters fencing, adding that the fence constructed in Warri had been pulled down by hoodlums.
Speaking at the site, the chairman, board of Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), Ibrahim Musa, said in the course of the project, the management of NRC sat with Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) and agreed on areas where overhead crossing and bridges would be constructed.
He said:
“We agreed that some bridges and overhead crossing will be constructed by the Federal Government, while others will be done by state governments.
“For instance, we constructed new two-line bridges at Costain and brought down the old ones to enable us to have access.
“As we are coming, you can see that passengers’ movement are under the track, while in some places we could see overhead bridges from Lagos to Ibadan in consideration of human and goods trafficking along the corridors.
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Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that Amaechi said that 90% of the Warri- Itakpe railway project is domiciled in the Niger Delta region.
It was reported that the minister stated this during the commissioning of the project for commercial services on Tuesday, September 29, by President Muhammadu Buhari virtually.
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Source: Legit.ng
