FG Decries CCECC’s Slow Pace Of Work On Port Harcourt-Maiduguri Railway

The Minister of Transportation, Sen. Saidu Alkali, has expressed disappointment over the slow pace of work on the reconstruction of the Eastern Railway Corridor by the Chinese Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) Ltd. The minister made his feelings known at the weekend when he inspected the progress of work done on the reconstruction of Eastern railway corridor to Port-Harcourt, Rivers State. Alkali expressed sadness that between Port-Harcourt and Aba Section, only 47 per cent completion stage had been achieved, instead of achieving 47 per cent completion of the entire stretch from Port-Harcourt to Maiduguri. “If you cannot complete Port-Harcourt to Aba which is 63km in 12 months, how would you be able to complete over 2000km in 36 months?” Alkali expressed dismay on the use of manual alignment processes by the CCECC in laying the track in the 21st Century. According to him, in a project that is 85 per cent funded by the Chinese and 15 per cent by the Federal Government, it is only the 15 per cent fund provision by the Federal Government that financed the project so far. The minister said that he would go back to the ministry to look at what was doable within the ambit of the law and that whatever the law provided on the issues observed, he would enforce it. Alkali however, identified one of the striking benefits to be the linking up of the two Sea Ports in Port-Harcourt to Maiduguri as well as promotion of regional trading at a highly reduced cost. The minister assured the people of the zone that by the time the passenger train services commenced, it would go a long way in cushioning the effect of the petroleum subsidy removal on Nigerians that would make use of the train services. Briefing the Minister and his delegation, representative of the CCECC, Mr C. Ching, promised that the first section of the project which was from Port-Harcourt to Aba, would be delivered by December, 2023. The CCECC assured the minister that enough materials were on ground to meet the target date, adding that the project with a special kind of bolts and nuts that were ‘anti-theft’ had been introduced to make vandalism difficult. Onovo said the Consultant handling the project, Khairi and Jamub Global Services Limited as well as the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Dr Magdalene Ajani, Directors from the Ministry, the Managing Director, NRC, Fidet Okhiria and others attended the inspection. On March 10, 2021, the Federal Government began the $3 billion repair and reconstruction of the 1,443 kilometres Eastern Railway Line from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri. The railway, when completed, will link Rivers, Abia, Imo, Enugu, Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau, Kaduna, Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe and Borno States.

FG begins infrastructural improvements at Idu train station

The Federal Government has commenced improvement of facilities and infrastructure at Idu Train Station, Abuja, to improve service delivery. Mr Fidet Okhira, Managing Director, Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), stated this after an inspection visit to the station on Wednesday. Okhira added that the move was to improve customer service experience and ensure comfort, safety, and the safety of users. He explained that the inspection became necessary following the unscheduled visit by the Minister of Transportation, Sen. Saidu Alkali to the station. He added Alkali had highlighted some issues that needed to be corrected. “My visit today is a follow up to ensure that all directives are duly followed and implemented. “We appreciate the minister`s visit because it has put us on our toes and everybody, including myself, is busy getting the job done,“ he said. He said that the three faulty lifts at the station have been fixed, while one of the three escalators was also working. He explained that the remaining two escalators could only work in one way for now, adding that the remaining two were being fixed. According to him, the NRC has keyed into the renewed hope of President Bola Tinubu and is determined to transform the railway service to serve the public better. On welfare, the managing director said that the corporation had paid two months out of the five months allowances owed to cleaners and security personnel. He explained that the delay was due to a shortfall in revenue generation since the train attack, adding that expenses had equally gone up.   “We will do all we can to ensure that the remaining balance is paid. This key to boost their morale to keep the train clean and safe for all users. “Nonetheless, we are appealing for continued cooperation of the cleaners and security personnel to enable us to deliver quality services to the members of the public,” he said. Okhira commended the Nigerian Police, the Army, and other stakeholders for securing the station and keeping it clean and serene.