How Abuja-Kaduna standard rail line was completed by Jonathan – Ohuabunwa

Sam Ohuabunwa, a presidential aspirant under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who was a member of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Program (Sure-P) under the then President Goodluck Jonathan, has given insight into how the 186 kilometers Abuja-Kaduna standard rail line was built and completed by Jonathan’s administration.

The standard gauge railway tracks stretches from Idu, near Abuja, to Kaduna in the north-western region of Nigeria.

According to Ohuabunwa, who spoke with BusinessDay recently in an exclusive interview, the Jonathan administration completed the Abuja- Kaduna standard gauge, which was commissioned by Buhari’s administration.

“That gauge was finished in March 2015, and we wanted President Goodluck Jonathan to inaugurate it, but he said after the elections. But after the election, somebody else inaugurated the work that he did,” Ohuabunwa said while answering questions on how he will address Nigeria’s infrastructural deficit if elected into power in 2023.

The presidential aspirant said the China Exim Bank provided 70 percent loan used for the funding of the rail project while Nigeria provided 30 percent of the funds making it 100 percent.

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“First, China was always having their money ready, and even the 30 percent of Nigeria sometimes came late. I was not there when the loan was negotiated, and our job at Sure-P was to supervise the project and to make sure that the job was done in accordance to specifications before the contractors can be paid,” he explained.

Continuing, he said: “If I was to be part of the negotiation, there was no reason we should put in 30 percent and no reason the other 70 percent should be a loan because it is on Nigeria’s balance sheet that we owe China Exim Bank, which means that we are going to pay interest and the capital.”

Ohuabunwa said that if he was to be the President at that time, he would have called on the China Exim Bank to come and construct the rail line, and agree on how many years it will take them to recoup their investment, which could be 20 or 25 years.

“With this, the rail will be built on time because they will not wait for Nigeria’s 30 percent or to bribe Nigerians for them to bring their 30 percent before they will get the job done. Ours will be to supervise while they do the job and provide the service. For 20 to 25 years, the service will work because they will recover their money, and at the end of 25 years, the rail infrastructure will belong to Nigerians with us paying back loan and interest,” he added.

Recall that SURE-P was a scheme established by the Federal Government during the Jonathan Administration, to re-invest the Federal Government savings from fuel subsidy removal on critical infrastructure projects.