FG to Take More Chinese Loans for Railway Expansion, Says Amaechi
AMaechi
*Blames Apapa gridlock on poor management
The federal government is planning to take more Chinese loans for the expansion of the railway services in the country, the Transport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi has said.
Amaechi in an interview with Arise TV Monday said the loans would enable the federal government to take the rail services to more states.
He explained that the loan will be used to expand the rail services from from Ibadan to Osogbo, Kano to Kaduna and other states in the country.
According to him, negotiation for the loan has already started.
He said, “As soon as we get the Chinese loan, we would commence the construction of Ibadan to Abuja, but before the end of this month, we should commence some of the Kano-Kaduna rail. We have already mobilised the contractors with some funds and we would fund it initially from our budget pending when the implementation of the loan facility would be concluded”.
On how to secure the rail facilities against vandals, the Minister called for amendment of the law to ensure that those caught are liable for manslaughter, adding that this will serve as a deterrence to other criminals.
Amaechi also said the terminal operators should be part of the contribution to reconstruct the Apapa seaport
He referred to the free flow of traffic on the day that President Muhammadu Buhari visited the Apapa port for the launch of the deep blue project.
He said the problem with Apapa port was inefficiency, adding that the terminal operators should be part of the contribution for reorganisation.
“I was in the train with the president on that day and noticed that everything had disappeared, even inside the port that looked like a marketplace was very well organised; no persons were found loitering about, no trucks. What it shows is that the problem of the seaport is the problem of efficiency.
“If they had the capacity in just one night, because I was there the previous evening, and when I came back in the morning, everything had disappeared; if that can happen in one night, it means that the problem is management, nothing else. Do we need to wait for the president to come before we can be efficient?
“What I’ve done was to have a meeting with the terminal operators and I told them that they have to contribute to the reconstruction of the Apapa seaport. We must rebuild the Apapa seaport, taking into cognisance all the issues that we are seeing now that is frustrating the seaport, like where do you park the trucks, how many trucks are coming into the Seaport at what point in time?
“How can a person come into the seaport who has no business being there, what is he doing at the seaport? The seaport is a security area and it’s not for everybody, even me, after my tenure as minister, I’m not entitled to go into the seaport unless I have business in the seaport.”
He promised that his Ministry will collaborate with the Customs Service, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to find a solution to the problem.
He also expressed optimism that once containers are taken out of the ports with rail, the ports congestion will be reduced.
The federal government is planning to take more Chinese loans for the expansion of the railway services in the country, the Transport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi has said.
Amaechi in an interview with Arise TV Monday said the loans would enable the federal government to take the rail services to more states.
He explained that the loan will be used to expand the rail services from from Ibadan to Osogbo, Kano to Kaduna and other states in the country.
According to him, negotiation for the loan has already started.
He said, “As soon as we get the Chinese loan, we would commence the construction of Ibadan to Abuja, but before the end of this month, we should commence some of the Kano-Kaduna rail. We have already mobilised the contractors with some funds and we would fund it initially from our budget pending when the implementation of the loan facility would be concluded”.
On how to secure the rail facilities against vandals, the Minister called for amendment of the law to ensure that those caught are liable for manslaughter, adding that this will serve as a deterrence to other criminals.
Amaechi also said the terminal operators should be part of the contribution to reconstruct the Apapa seaport
He referred to the free flow of traffic on the day that President Muhammadu Buhari visited the Apapa port for the launch of the deep blue project.
He said the problem with Apapa port was inefficiency, adding that the terminal operators should be part of the contribution for reorganisation.
“I was in the train with the president on that day and noticed that everything had disappeared, even inside the port that looked like a marketplace was very well organised; no persons were found loitering about, no trucks. What it shows is that the problem of the seaport is the problem of efficiency.
“If they had the capacity in just one night, because I was there the previous evening, and when I came back in the morning, everything had disappeared; if that can happen in one night, it means that the problem is management, nothing else. Do we need to wait for the president to come before we can be efficient?
“What I’ve done was to have a meeting with the terminal operators and I told them that they have to contribute to the reconstruction of the Apapa seaport. We must rebuild the Apapa seaport, taking into cognisance all the issues that we are seeing now that is frustrating the seaport, like where do you park the trucks, how many trucks are coming into the Seaport at what point in time?
“How can a person come into the seaport who has no business being there, what is he doing at the seaport? The seaport is a security area and it’s not for everybody, even me, after my tenure as minister, I’m not entitled to go into the seaport unless I have business in the seaport.”
He promised that his Ministry will collaborate with the Customs Service, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to find a solution to the problem.
He also expressed optimism that once containers are taken out of the ports with rail, the ports congestion will be reduced.
FOLLOW US
About Post Author
