By Oru Leonard
The Federal Government today signed a Contract Agreement of $6.68 on the Ibadan – Kaduna Railway Segment of the Lagos-Kano Railway Line with the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CC.ECC).
Addressing Journalists shortly after signing the Contract Agreement, the Honourable Minister of Transportation Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi said that the Contract Agreement is for the implementation of Addendum no. 4 Ibadan- Kaduna segment of the Lagos- Kano Rail line at the cost of $6.68 billion.
“This one is Ibadan- Kaduna Rail Line which is part of the Lagos-Kano rail line” he said. The Hon. Minister added that the completion time of the contract should between 2-3 year depending on the availability of funds.
Rt. Hon Rotimi Amaechi promised that the Ministry should be able to provide its counterpart funding between this year and next year budget provision.
The Ibadan- Kaduna Standard Gauge line will pass through Oshogbo-ilorin-Minna to Kaduna, with a single track branch line from Oshogbo to Ado- Ekiti.
This Contract is in fulfilment of Federal government’s plan to complete the Lagos- Kano rail modernization Project which was started in 2006 and broken into Segments for implementation in 2008.
Segmentation phase commenced in Abuja- Kaduna Rail Line in 2011, which was completed and commissioned into Commercial operation by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016.
The Federal government in March 2017 commenced implementation of the second leg of the Lagos – Kano line which is the Lagos-Ibadan Rail line that is currently on-going and is planned to be completed by the end of 2018.
Signing of this Ibadan –Kaduna Segment Contract Agreement today concludes all outstanding Segment of Lagos – Kano Rail Line. The South East and South South is also full of expectations of the railway dividends
