Obviously displeased Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi has accused the China Civil Engineering and Construction Company (CCECC) of consciously frustrating the delivery of the Kaduna-Kano rail project for political reasons.
The Minister who speaking to journalists during the inspection of the project and other facilities in Kano on Saturday said the CCECC is playing politics with the project.
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He threatened to speak more about the project after Wednesday Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.
“I think the CCECC is beginning to play politics. They should move away from politics and focus on construction. And I think they need to complete the Kaduna-Kano rail as planned.
“I think what they’re doing is delay the project for this government to come to end,” he said.
Amaechi explained that the speed is extremely slow. They are supposed to have over 2,000 equipment on this project, they have just 541 so far. They claimed that over 300 are in Kaduna. We have sent a team to check. But even if you add that, you will still have just over 800. Just over 800 equipment compared to 2,000, means something is wrong somewhere” he said.
“I know they will claim that we haven’t funded them but part of their responsibility in the contract is for them to look for the money. CCECC hasn’t given us money. Chinese haven’t given us money. So they can’t afford to delay it because is their responsibility to look for the money. That’s what the CCECC must do. But I will address the press and Nigerians on Wednesday after we meet with CCECC. If there is no difference, I will tell the country what’s going on.
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He said the report from the project consultant show the project is just about five percent completed, which is unacceptable.
He also described as unacceptable the fact that the contractor was yet to commence work on the Port-Harcourt/Maiduguri rail line, saying, “we have given them some money. They ought to have started work by now but if you go there, nothing is happening. It is an old track. We can’t just give you money and you go to sleep.”
The Minister however assured Nigerians that when completed, the project would be of high standard, saying, “quality is guaranteed. Quality is not our problem. Our problem is speed.”
The 204km rail corridor consists of 13 large and medium sized bridges, 17 framed bridges, 60 highway overpasses, 12 pedestrian overpasses and three stations.
Amaechi also visited the Dala Inland Dry Port, Kano where work was going on at impressive speed.
Managing Director, Dala Inland Dry Port, Ahmad Rabiu, told the Minister that all that was left were electrical fittings and minor works for operations to begin at the port just in weeks.
The Minister was accompanied on the trip by the Permanent Ministry, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Dr. Magdalene Ajani: Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, Fidet Okhiria (NRC) among others.
