Skip to main content

‘We Have Called The Chinese’ —Amaechi Apologies As Abuja-Kaduna Train Breaks Down

Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has apologised to Nigerians for the breakdown on the Abuja-Kaduna rail locomotives which occurred between November 18 and November 20.

The minister made the plea on Monday at the Moniya rail station during the routine inspection of the ongoing rail project in Ibadan, Vanguard reports.


“I want to apologise to Nigerians for what happened at the Abuja-Kaduna rail station.

“We now have new locomotives, and we have called the Chinese because we never expected the mechanical fault at this early stage. 

“On behalf of the Nigerian government, the ministry, and the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), we apologise to Nigerians, and I have instructed the NRC to fix it or invite the Chinese. 

“If this is happening now, then they should bring back our old locomotives, it will just affect turnaround times because we get the new locomotive to increase the turnaround time,” he said. 

Amaechi called for an increase in the pace of work by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), adding that the COVID-19 pandemic was no longer an excuse. 

The minister said although the CCECC was doing well, they needed to increase their pace to enable the ministry to deliver the project on schedule. 

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Mrs Madeleine Ajani, said there was a significant improvement in the ongoing work from what it was in October. 

Ajani said the ministry was not shifting the date of the commissioning but would instead put more pressure on the CCECC to enable them to achieve their targets. 

She explained the need for Lagos to have a standard gauge train due to the population, adding that in less than one and a half hours, the train would move from Lagos to Ibadan. 

Ajani said that the establishment of the standard gauge railway would also decongest both the road transportation and movement of cargo from the ports while people living in Ibadan could come and work in Lagos daily. 

The Managing Director, Nigeria Railway Corporation, Mr Fidet Okhiria, said there was an improvement in the construction output by the contractors, adding that “hopefully by December some of the stations would be completed”. 

“We also need to have more stations so that passengers would not need to wait for the train to leave Ebute-Meta Station before getting to Agege station which means that the two trains can be in a section. 

“The delay in the rail construction along Apapa ports corridors is due to the Oando pipeline along Apapa corridor,” Okhiria said. 

He disclosed that the train would start operating from Lagos to Moniya in Ibadan by December 7. 

According to Okhiria, 24 coaches, four-passenger locomotives, nine freight locomotives, and shunting locomotives had arrived in Lagos while two of the freight locomotives would be transferred to Warri for a project.

Politics

Travel

News

AddThis

: 

Original Author

: 

SaharaReporters, New York

Disable advertisements

: 

from 24HRSNEWS
via 24HRSNEWS



from EDUPEDIA247https://ift.tt/2KCxsO8
via EDUPEDIA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dust haze weather to prevail on Thursday, December 27

- The Nigerian Meteorological agency (NiMet) predicts thick dust haze weather conditions over most parts of the country - NiMet predicts northern states would experience dust haze - The agency also predicts early morning mist/fog is expected over the coastal cities The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted thick dust haze weather conditions with reduced visibility over most parts of the country on Thursday, December 27. NiMet’s Weather Outlook on Wednesday, December 26, in Abuja, revealed that the central region of the country would record dust haze condition with visibility range of two to five kilometres throughout the day. It added that day and night temperatures of 27 degrees Celsius to 34 degrees Celsius and 10 degrees Celsius to 20 degrees Celsius, respectively, would prevail over the region. READ ALSO: Police reportedly arrest Badeh’s alleged killers The agency predicted that the northern states would experience dust haze with visibility range of two to fi...
Post a Comment
Read more

N2.5bn Fraud: You Have Case To Answer, Appeal Court Tells Suspended NBC Boss, Kawu

The Director General of the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, Ishaq Kawu. The Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, has dismissed an appeal filed by the suspended Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission, Dr Moddibbo Kawu, challenging the decision of the Federal High Court, to dismiss the no-case submission he filed at the lower court. The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission had charged Kawu, Lucky Omoluwa (late Chairman of Pinnacle Communications Ltd) and Dipo Onifade, Chief Operating Officer of the same company, before Justice Folashade Ogunbanjo-Giwa, on a 12-count charge of money laundering. Is'haq Modibbo Kaw THISDAYLIVE The suspended NBC boss and his co-accused then approached the appellate court to reverse the judgment of the Federal High Court. The appellate dismissed the no-case submission filed by Kawu and his co-accused and held that they had an explanation to give when he elected to facilitate the payment of ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Buhari’s Legacy Of Recessions By Fredrick Nwabufo

Fredrick Nwabufo ‘Why always Buhari?’ As it was in 1984 under General Buhari, so it is in 2016 and 2020 under President Buhari? Is it by the unfortunate hands of kismet that recession hits Nigeria every time Buhari takes charge of the country’s affairs? If the recession of the 80s under Buhari was a conspiracy by economic and political factors, to what do we attribute that of his first coming as a civilian President — and now in his second coming? Why does pestilence scourge the land, hunger ravage the population and lives lost malevolently when Buhari presides over the country? Why always Buhari? Buhari’s undoing is his wonted predilection for hierarchising ethnicity, religion and loyalty above competence. Since 1999, no President has obtrusively shown a more nepotistic aspect than Buhari. It is unarguable that the President arrays the most competence-challenged cabinet ever in the chronicle of governance in Nigeria. Yes, a recession cabinet. Fredrick Nwabufo Here is a cabin...
Post a Comment
Read more