Tag Archives: Abuja-Kaduna Rail

Abuja- Kaduna Rail Partially Executed By Jonathan- Amaechi

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The Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, on Tuesday admitted that the Abuja-Kaduna rail project was partially executed by the Goodluck Jonathan administration, but added that the President Buhari’s government was responsible for executing the final stages that were crucial to the project’s completion.
The line, first of its kind in Nigeria, was commissioned amidst fanfare by Mr. Buhari in Kubwa, a suburb of Abuja and major terminal for the route, on Tuesday.
But no latter had the commissioning ceremony got underway than arguments about who deserved the most credit for what is now widely acknowledged as one of the most consequential improvements to Nigeria’s rail transportation in a long time ensued.
The social media became awash with arguments between supporters of Mr. Buhari, who said he had scored another major developmental achievement barely a year in office, and admirers of Mr. Jonathan, who said the former leader completed the project before leaving office in May 2015.
The PDP released a statement detailing how the project was conceived and completed through counterpart funding by Mr. Jonathan’s administration.
In an apparent bid to douse the tension flaring between the two camps, Mr. Amaechi took to his Twitter handle to weigh in on the matter, saying the project was, in fact, conceived by President Olusegun Obasanjo, who left office nine years ago, and received contributions from successive governments.
“The rail contract was awarded by President Obasanjo, partially executed by President Jonathan and completed by President Buhari,” Mr. Amaechi said.
Mr. Amaechi’s tweet elicited criticism from mostly PDP supporters, who said the minister was being disingenuous.

They said Mr. Amaechi left out the fact that the train project was awarded by Mr. Jonathan in 2011 through counterpart funding with a Chinese construction firm at the rate of $874 million.
The PDP also posted a link to a December 2014 Chinese news report suggesting the project was completed in December 2014, after Mr. Amaechi’s predecessor in the ministry reportedly bolted the last knot on the tracks.
But Mr. Amaechi held his ground, saying a lot of efforts were put into the completion by the APC government.
“The rail stations, the signaling, the communications and part of d tracks were done and completed by the Buhari administration,” he said.

Credit: PremiumTimes

Opinion: Obasanjo Initiated Abuja-Kaduna Rail Project Not Jonathan

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People tend to forget continuum in governance! Supporters of former President Goodluck Jonathan have been giving the credit of the Abuja-Kaduna rail project to him. It was commissioned yesterday by President Muhammadu Buhari.

 

Here is the historical timeline on the project:

 

? The Modernisation programme commenced in 2006, with the signing of agreement between Nigeria and the CCECC for construction of a new standard gauge rail network Lagos-Kanoand Port Harcourt – Maiduguri and the Lagos Calabar lines to replace the existing narrow guage lines, at a cost of $8.3 billion, over a 25- year period.

 

? The counterpart funding was faulty on the part of Nigeria, while it contravened the law.

 

? The government of late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua discovered that the contract did not follow due process and that the project was inflated.

 

? Yar’Adua visited China and re-negotiated and re-scoped the entire project. Partners agreed to first, get the services back by rehabilitating the two narrow guage lines first, then construct the standard guage lines thereafter. The standard guage project was segmented and the Abuja -Kaduna component was added. The completion date of rehabilitation of Lagos-Kano and Port Harcourt-Maiduguri lines was December 2011…

 

? Rehabilitation work started while a Chinese delegation came to Nigeria to commence on-site assessment and preparatory work on first phase of the now segmented standard gauge Abuja-Kaduna line in July 2008 and to finalise it in 2009. When Yar Adua died, Jonathan rescoped the Lagos-Calabar line by adding Otuoke to it.

? Contract for the Abuja-Kaduna standard rail project was awarded in 2010 but the actual construction did not start till 2011. It is an 874 million dollar project with the Exim Bank of China’s facility of $500 million, while Nigeria was to pay the rest. The Project was scheduled for completion in 2014.

 

? But Jonathan’s administration reneged on counterpart funding of the project, leading to extension of completion period. It was typical of the Jonathan’s government. Almost all capital projects inherited by the administration were not adequately funded in spite of their strategic importance to the nation, and in spite of the large amount of monies Nigeria made from the high price of crude oil throughout his regime.

 

? Jonathan did not initiate the project, not to talk of completing it. He indeed, inherited it and had the opportunity of completion to take the glory, but he blew the opportunity.

 

? When Buhari came in 2015, there were outstanding payments which stalled the project. Buhari paid off and worked commenced and is now completed due largely to the seriousness Buhari attached to it.

 

? The Second phase of betrayal of terms of agreement befell the Rail Modernisation project, Lagos-Ibadan dual track standard gauge line. The contract was awarded in 2012 and to be completed in 2015…

 

? Federal Executive Council on July 18th, 2012 approved the sum of $1.457 billion as the project contract sum on 36 months completion period. The project was abandoned by Jonathan after 13 billion naira was appropriated in the 2012, 2013 and 2014 budgets with nothing to show for the sums.