The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi disclosed that $2.8 billion has been approved by the Federal Executive Council for the procurement of operational maintenance equipment for some railway projects. The minister stated this while addressing the State House correspondents at the end of the Council meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, on Wednesday in Abuja.
According to a report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigerian Railway Corporation generated a sum of N2.12 billion as revenue in the first half of 2021, representing a 123% increase compared to N946.86 million generated in the previous period (H2 2020).
Recall that recently the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved $328.87 million contracts for consultancy services for the supervision of the various railway projects in the country.
In his words, Rotimi Amaechi, giving a breakdown of his ministry’s presentations at the meeting noted that he has the approval of the cabinet to procure rolling stocks operational maintenance equipment for the new railway projects corridors in Ibadan to Kano standard gauge and Port Harcourt to Maiduguri narrow gauge rail lines to the tune of $2,810,574,064.92 including 7.5 per cent tax, the minister announced.
He also disclosed that rolling stocks called railway vehicles will be replaced across the lines mentioned above due to their essence in maintaining train coaches and locomotives.
Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, while giving report on the attack of train passengers in Kogi claimed that the passengers were attacked outside the station while heading to their destination based on the report he got from the victims and that nobody was killed as a result of the attack as being reported in some quarters. He also noted that their responsibility is inside the station.
However, he thanked the sitting for calling his attention to the level of armed security in the station as they have never been attacked inside the station. Policemen are supposed to be at every station because we have railway police, and promised to find out more from the Managing Director of Nigerian Railway Corporation.
