Lagos/ Ibadan railway project: We consider communities safety first -Amaechi

By Albert Akota

Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi has reaffirmed that it ministry an CCECC considered communities along the Lagos-Ibadan rail corridor to create enough under and overpasses as a means of preventing accidents following the level of progress of work on the route.
Amaechi stated this at Ibadan at the weekend while on an inspection tour of the route to access the level of work done. He disclosed that communities along the rail corridor had written him many times, complaining of inadequacy of under and overpasses.
Amaechi noted that the communities had also complained of erosion owing to work done on the standard gauge which left the grounds very high.
“These communities will write, when they write, I will vet it to the Permanent Secretary, the Permanent Secretary will vet to the Director (rail) and I wouldn’t hear about it again.
“We are being unfair to them because they gave us all the cooperation we wanted. These communities have been nice to us. Why do we want to visit them with what was not there before we came?”, he asked.
Meanwhile, Chairman of Nigerian Railway Corporate board, Engr. Ibrahim Alhassan Musa said the corporation was working with the Lagos, Oyo, and Ogun state governments to create enough under and overpasses.t
There are over 55 overhead bridges, 6 underpasses and over 100 covets on the 156 km standard gauge line.
Amaechi also reminded the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, CCECC that ongoing works must be completed on time, preparatory for commissioning on January 1st, 2020.
Amaechi was accompanied on the inspection tour by the Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, Engr. Fidet Okhiria and top officials of the Federal Ministry of Transportation.