The promised date for the commissioning of train services on the Port Harcourt to Maiduguri line by the Federal Government of Nigeria has been moved from March to April.
This lag is connected to the section between Port Harcourt and Aba, which is part of a larger Port-Harcourt-Maiduguri rail project implemented during former President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure in office.
Initially, it was projected that operations would begin by the end of March. Nonetheless, Mr. Saidu Alkali, the Transport Minister announced this new date in Port-Harcourt last Friday after inspecting newly reconstructed rail tracks.
According to Minister Alkali, the delay resulted from a postponement by the contractor in charge of this undertaking thereby rescheduling delivery for April.
“This is the second time I am visiting Port Harcourt to inspect the railway line since I became the Minister of Transportation. The contractors had promised a March commencement date, but based on certain observations made during the inspection and intricacies of work involved, we have had to extend it until April, considering that today is already March 29th . By April this year, they assured us that there will be an operational Port Harcourt to Aba service. Additionally, I also seek for approval to connect this rail line with the ports in Port Harcourt and Onne so that we can start ferrying goods from these two seaports to Aba,” explained Alkali.
Alkali however expressed dissatisfaction about the missed deadline while showing some level of understanding; “Certainly when a target date has not been met there is bound to be some feeling of dissatisfaction. Nonetheless if a pledge slated for March results in delivery by April then it is a delay we can take care of,” he said.
Alkali emphasized that President Bola Tinubu’s Federal Government is committed to complete any ongoing projects in the nation. He said, “Following the government commitments, we are starting with the 15% of the project cost which will go towards addressing Port Harcourt to Aba section of railways.” Furthermore, they are working on connecting it to Port Harcourt and Onne Ports.”
Moreover, he said that the Calabar-Enugu-Abuja standard gauge rail line is waiting for the finalization of its funding while Ibadan-Abuja section of the standard gauge rail line is currently being addressed by government.
“It is therefore a question of sorting out financial issues because you can’t start a project without having your finances already sorted out. When financing is concluded, we will start this project. As I mentioned earlier this is my second inspection visit here and inclusion of Port Harcourt in this inspection underscores our seriousness and commitment towards ensuring projects are delivered across all parts of Nigeria,” he insisted.
The public has been called upon by Alkali to bear with Government and give them support since they remain committed to alleviating suffering and enhancing citizens’ quality of life.