The Minister of Transportation, Senator Saidu Alkali, has voiced his disappointment at the sluggish pace of work on the reconstruction of the Eastern Railway Corridor by the Chinese Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) Ltd.
On Friday, the minister expressed his concerns while inspecting the progress of the reconstruction work on the corridor leading to Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Alkali expressed sadness that only 47 percent of the section between Port Harcourt and Aba had been completed, far from the projected 47 percent completion for the entire stretch from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri.
“If you cannot complete the Port Harcourt to Aba section, which spans 63 kilometers, within 12 months, how can you possibly complete over 2000 kilometers in 36 months?” he questioned.
He further expressed his dismay at the use of manual alignment processes by the CCECC, stating that it was unacceptable in the 21st century.
The minister emphasized that despite the project being 85 percent funded by the Chinese and 15 percent by the Federal Government, only the funds provided by the Federal Government had been utilized so far.
Alkali stated that he would return to the ministry to explore enforceable measures within the legal framework to address the situation.
However, he highlighted one of the notable benefits of the project as the connection of the two sea ports in Port Harcourt to Maiduguri, which would facilitate regional trade at a significantly reduced cost.
The minister reassured the people of the affected regions that the commencement of passenger train services would greatly alleviate the impact of the removal of petroleum subsidies on Nigerians who choose to utilize the train services.
The Federal Government commenced the $3 billion repair and reconstruction of the 1,443-kilometer Eastern Railway Line from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri on March 10, 2021, as reported by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Once completed, the railway line will connect states such as Rivers, Abia, Imo, Enugu, Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau, Kaduna, Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe, and Borno.
