…$3.02bn for reconstruction of Port Harcourt-Maiduguri Railway
Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The 18th virtual Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, presiding over by President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri Eastern Narrow Gauge railway project at the cost of $3.02 billion.
It also approved the construction of a deep seaport at Bonny and a railway industrial park in Port Harcourt, at the cost of $703.1 million.
Both of projects are to be funded through the Public/Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement, at no cost to the federal government.
Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, disclosed this to State House Correspondents on Wednesday at the end of the meeting.
According to Amaechi, the PPP-funded would be executed at $241.2 million (industrial park) and $461.9 million (Bonny deep seaport) respectively.
“The Federal Executive Council FEC has approved the award of contracts for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri eastern narrow guage railway, with new branch lines and trans-shipment facilities.
“They’ve also approved the construction of a new deep seaport in Bonny, under PPP and the construction of a railway industrial park in Port Harcourt.
“The railway line will be at the cost of $3,020,279,549. The industrial park, which is under PPP, at no cost to federal government, will cost $241,154,389.31.
The Bonny deep seaport will cost $461,924,369, at no cost to the federal government.
“The Port Harcourt to Maiduguri narrow guage railway will have new branch lines: from Port Harcourt to Bonny and from Port Harcourt to Owerri are new lines.
There’s another connecting to narrow guage to standard gauge at Kafanchan. There is a branch line from Gombe or before Maiduguri to Damaturu and Gashau. That’s what has been approved,” he explained.
This does not make sense. How can anyone in 2020 think of narrow gauge rail? That money can build a standard gauge like Lagos- Ibadan or Warri – Itakpe. This will give room to another shout of marginalisation. Let someone stop this for goodness sake