There are very strong indications that, delay in appointing ministers by President Muhaammadu Buhari to hit kick-off the second term of his administration may extend the delivery timeline of the Lagos-Kano Standard Guage Rail project.
Vice president Yemi Osinbajo had in March 2017 commissioned the Lagos-Ibadan segment of the Lagos-Kano railway modernisation project inside the compound of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) in Lagos.
The 156 kilometer Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge rail project was awarded at awarded at the cost of $1.53 billion in 2012 to the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) for the construction of the project.
However with initial delays faced by the project, a ground-breaking ceremony finally took place on March 7, 2017, while the railway was scheduled for completion in December 2018.
Putting the decrepit rail projects across the country is seen by many as one infrastructure that would go a long way in addressing the transportation needs of the country both in the movement of passengers and cargo in the face of many years of roads decay.
Many Nigerians are of the opinion that with the appointment of Rotimi Amaechi as the Transportation Minister, the commencement of work on the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge rail corridor which will eventually terminate at Kano has received the needed boost.
They hoped that, President Muhammadu Buhari should not waste time and must as a matter of urgency and necessity appoint ministers, especially hat of the transportation sector to accelerate the pace of development.
Ibrahim Dauda, director of the Audit Department, Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) had during an inspection tour of the ongoing Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge rail project said that, the project is one that guarantees value for money.
The project he said has substantially met the criteria for transparency and accountability in the management of the funds, adding that, the inspection team have been to the site of the ongoing construction of the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge rail line which passes through Abeokuta.
“From the briefing we have received and seen on the site, the project will be substantially completed and delivered. We are happy that the federal government has always been meeting up with its funding and the China Eximbank has been up too. Their commitment has assisted in the project.
FRC he declared had the mandate to ensure that all projects promote prudent and transparent fiscal management in the country. This means ensuring that, all projects have value for money; they are completed according to standards, transparency and accountability, particularly in the management of funds.
