Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi has frowned at the pace of work on the Lagos-Ibadan rail line project saying that inadequate manpower is slowing down completion of job.
Amaechi disclosed this Monday during an inspection tour of the project. BusinessDay gathered that though contract staff handling sundry aspects of the project numbered about 10, 000 before the outbreak of COVID-19, same is now down to about 3,000.
The minister appealed to the contractor to employ more workers to speed up the pace of work with necessary precautionary measures.
At the Agege substation, the minister expressed dismay at what he called the slow pace of work, even as he told officials of the China Civil Engineering Construction Company, CCECC that he will return on-site on December 19 to ascertain the level of progress made.
The situation was not different at the Omi-Adio sub station in Ibadan where the Minister attributed the slow pace of work to inadequate manpower.
He urged the contractors to recruit more hands in order to ensure the completion of the project and deliver it for use of the public as soon as possible.
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Meanwhile, the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) announced that commercial activities will begin on the line come December 7 according to the managing director of Nigerian Railway Corporation, Fidet Okhiria
Okhiria expressed optimism that the NRC is determined to begin commercial operations in earnest with coaches and drivers ready.
The inspection team also included the permanent secretary, federal ministry of transportation, Magdalene Ajani, amongst others, the inspection commenced at the Ebute-Metta Railway Complex, where significant lwork has been done including tiling and plastering.
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