Jonathan approves second phase of rail repairs

President Goodluck Jonathan has okayed the rehabilitation of the second phase of the nation’s rail networks.

The approval covers the rail line from Port Harcourt, Rivers State to Maiduguri, Borno State, Transport Minister, Alhaji Yusuf Suleiman disclosed at the weekend.

He spoke when he led a delegation of senior officials of his ministry, including the Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Adeseyi Sijuwade, during a tour of ongoing railway infrastructure repairs in the Minna, Niger State.

“This is the second phase of our rehabilitation as the NRC is in the process of awarding contracts for this phase. This is because the President has approved the project.

“This is in furtherance of this administration’s determination to ensure that existing rail networks are fully rehabilitated,” he said.

The NRC’s Assistant Director, Public Relations, Mr David Ndakotsu, said in a statement stated that the minister, who also visited the Niger State Governor, Muazu Babangida Aliyu, promised to ensure the rehabilitation of railway infrastructure would be extended to the Baro- Minna rail line.

“As part of efforts to address the problem of access to the Baro River Port, I have instructed the Managing Director of the NRC to, as a matter of priority, begin the immediate rehabilitation of the Baro to Minna rail line and other infrastructure,” he said.

Sijuwade assured that his corporation was committed to the prompt repair of a major bridge on the Jebba-Kano axis, one of the main reasons it was impossible to operate train service from Jebba to Kano.

He said the Federal Government was uncomfortable with the August deadline given by the contractor, for the completion of work on the Jebba-Kano route. He said the corporation was looking at ways of ensuring prompt completion.

“I can tell you confidently that work is now progressing well. The bridge reconstruction should start this month. That itself, is the main aspect of the project. Once that bridge is reconstructed, we will be able to move trains from Jebba to Kano.

“One of the things we are looking at is how to ensure sectional completion of the project within the next month or two. By that I mean, for instance, sections such as Minna to Kaduna. If we can complete that while the bridge work in Akere is going on, that would have been a major development.

Source : The Nation