The Federal Government has disclosed that the Port Harcourt to Maiduguri rehabilitation and reconstruction of rail line has been penciled to kick start in 2021. The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amechi stated this today while defending his Ministry budget for the 20121 physical years at the National Assembly joint house committee on Transportation.
The Minister also disclosed that the Itakpe-Abuja-Warri central railway, as well as the 378km standard gauge that will transverse through Kano-Kastina-Jibiya to a border town of Maradi in the Niger Republic, are also part of the rail to commence next year.
Amechi revealed that the project has since been approved by the Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP) and the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to boost the economy of the region.
He said the land transport will gulp N204 billion in the ministry’s total budget while marine would cost N845 million.
The Minister said it is the priority of the Buhari administration to deliver these projects of railway services before his tenure runs out.
According to him, Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge has reached 92% completion, however, only 656 million dollars is required to complete the project.
In his statement, “Therefore, in order not to forestall the progress of implementation, and the adequate fund needs to be provided in the 2021 budget proposal to facilitate the completion of the project,”
Meanwhile, The Chairman of the House Committee on Land Transport, Hon Tajudeen Abass solicited more time to consider the transport budget as it was submitted late for consideration.
