Buhari insists on completion of rail projects

President Muhammadu Buhari has insisted that all rail projects across the country awarded by previous administrations must be resuscitated and completed before the end of 2019. According to the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, the President made it clear that all the affected rail projects must be completed by December 2019 as a result of the economic significance of railways and the “benefits to be derived from them by the generality of Nigerians.

“Amaechi stated this during the Ministry of Transportation’s 2017 budget defence before the joint House of Representatives Committees on Aviation, Land Transport, Maritime, Safety and Administration/Ports, Harbours and Waterways at the National Assembly.

He was quoted in a statement by the ministry to have said on Monday, “Our plan is to complete the rail projects in 2019. Once our borrowing plan of $6.1 billion from the Chinese EXIM Bank is approved by the National Assembly, we will be able to access the loan from the Chinese government and work will commence in earnest on these projects.”