TheCable

Rotimi Amaechi, minister of transportation, says work on Port Harcourt-Maiduguri, Kano-Maradi, Lagos-Calabar, Ibadan-Kano rail lines will commence soon.

He announced this on Friday, during the ministerial briefing on the activities of the federal ministry of transportation, in Abuja.

The minister noted that the federal government has tried its best to solve the financial problems involved in the rail projects.

Amaechi said that the federal government is waiting for funds from China to commence the Ibadan to Kano rail lines, while it is waiting for cabinet approval for consulting shares for Port Harcourt to Maiduguri rail lines.

“We have awarded the following contracts and we are about to start and we have even tried to solve the financial problems,” he said.

“This is because we have the problem of having to hire consulting engineers. The ones we are about to start are Ibadan to Kano, and we are waiting for funds from China.

“We are about to start Port Harcourt to Maiduguri, we are waiting for the cabinet to approve consulting shares. We are also to start the Kano-Maradi and Lagos to Calabar.”

The minister disclosed that the president has directed that all rail lines must connect with the sea ports, hence the Kano-Maradi rail line will be adjusted to link up with the Kano-Lagos rail in order to terminate at the Lagos seaports

“One thing that is unique about these contracts is that the president early enough directed that all rail lines must stagnate at the sea ports,” he said.

“That is why there may be a bit of adjustment in the pricing of Kano-Maradi because we have to adjust it to link up to Kano-Lagos so that it can terminate at Lagos seaport.”