Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The Minister of Transportation, Senator Seidu Ahmed Alkali, has tasked the contractor handling the Port Harcourt to Aba Railway line project to beef up security on the corridor and improve its use of technology to fast track the project.
Alkali who said this while on inspection tour of railway project sites in Port Harcourt and Ishiagu in Ebonyi State, feared that the use of manual would delay the project at Obigbo in Rivers State.
“I challenge the contractor at Obigbo, Rivers State to beef up the security aspect of the corridor and I also challenge him on the technology they are using for the project.
“This is because from what I have seen they are using manual and that will take us a long time to achieve our goal.
“They should employ security measures to ensure the project is safe and also employ the right technology so that they will be able to deliver the project in good time in line with the “renewed hope agenda” of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” the minister said.
The minister, while on inspection of the Concrete Sleepers base in Ishiagu, Ebonyi State frowned at the lack of activities at the site being handled by the Chinese Engineering Construction Company (CECC).
“Last year I was in Port Harcourt immediately I took over as minister of transportation, we did inspection so we now come back for final inspection in preparation for the take-off of the railway transport from Port Harcourt to Aba.
“Then we decided to come down to Ishiagu in Ebonyi to further inspect the sleeper factory which the contractor is using on the corridor to see by ourselves.
“However, my impression is not too good because when I came to the factory, it is like there is no production ongoing,” Alkali said.
The minister disclosed that the Federal Government had done its best and challenged the contractors to fulfill their own part of the contractual agreement and return to work.
“When I seek explanation from the contractor he said he had challenge of funding.
“On our part as a Federal Government, we have done our best even from where we started we are using the appropriation part which is the Federal Government component of the project; so, the contractor should gear up to raise their own part, so that they will continue the work.
“What we intend to do is that from Port Harcourt we make progress to Enugu, from Port Harcourt we see how we can link Onne and from Port Harcourt to Aba being one of the major commercial cities in the South-East,” he said.
