The national government will start work on the development of the Ibadan-Kano rail project when the Chinese government favors the amount of $5.3bn advance application, Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi has said.
Amaechi, expressed this as a visitor of the Nigeria Television Authority, NTA, Weekend Deal Program, checked by our reporter in Abuja.
He stated: "We are hanging tight for the Chinese government and bank to endorse the $5.3bn to build the Ibadan-Kano. What was affirmed a year prior was the agreement.
"The second I declared that the government had granted an agreement of $5.3bn to the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, CCECC to build Ibadan-Kano; they expected the cash had come in. No!
"Up till now, we have not gotten the cash a year after we have applied for the advance; we have nearly completed the one of Lagos-Ibadan. In the event that we don't get the credit now, we can't begin," he added.
The Minister added that upon culmination, the Ibadan-Kano rail would connect the Kaduna-Kano-Abuja-Minna-Ilorin-Oshogbo-Ibadan where cargoes could be moved to Kano from Lagos.
On the issue of wet cargoes out and about bringing about vehicular mishaps, Amaechi noticed that hereafter, cargoes would be passed on from Lagos to Ibadan as it were.
He expressed that when the Ibadan to Kano rail project is finished, wet and dry cargoes can be moved from Lagos to Kano.
"Nigeria ought to be more patient with the Ministry of Transportation over the issue of wet cargoes. As of now, we are attempting to build the railroad into the seaports to empower us to ship either wet or dry cargoes to different objections. The lone wet cargoes that can go currently is between Lagos to Ibadan.
"The second we reason that we will have the option to move wet cargoes right to Kano from Lagos. We ought to likewise initiate the development of Port Harcourt to Maiduguri and have the option to move cargoes from Bonny to Maiduguri," he said.
On the subsidizing of different rail projects the nation over, Amaechi said the Ministry of Finance is responsible for financing and not the Ministry of Transportation, adding anyway that Ministry has a Presidential seal of endorsement to look for advances to finance rail projects to assist Nigeria and Nigerians.
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