ABOUT $16billion each is required to implement the modernization of the eastern flank of Nigerian Railway and the dredging of the Calabar Port, Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi has disclosed.
Speaking in Abuja to State House correspondents after a meeting to brief President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday, he said the railway modernization which already has the president’s approval involved Port Harcourt-Maiduguri line cutting through Aba, Owerri, Enugu, Umuahia, Markurdi, Abakiliki, Awka, Lafia, Bauchi, Gombe, Yola, Damaturu.
According to him, another rail line is the one from Kano to Maradi in the Niger Republic.
He said he was at the presidential villa to brief the president on the progress of loans negations for the project.
Amaechi said: “I need to brief the President about how we are progressing with negotiations of loans and others and our possible financiers.
“I also need to brief him about the current activities going on in the Lagos/Ibadan axis and what we intend to do to complete the Lagos/Kano railway. It is basically about my office.”
The minister said despite the approvals for the project, the required funds were not yet available to commence the implementation.
“There are approvals but we have to look for the money. The money is just not there. It is not easy, it is a total of about $16 billion and you don’t pluck $16 billion from the sky,” he regretted.
He remarked that the government may look towards a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement but would not be wholly dependent on that.
He added: “That is the first line of action. We will try and see if we can work on PPP particularly as it pertains to the seaport.
“Don’t forget that two-deep seaports have been approved; Bonny seaport and the Warri seaport. The Port Harcourt Railway Industrial Park.
“We should also be able to implement that through PPP. l hope we can but l doubt if it will be easy to get railway as PPP because it is quite expensive.”
On the president’s vision for the railway transportation, Amaechi remarked: “That is why I was summoned. Don’t forget that the President sleeps and wakes up thinking about the railway and if his blood pressure will not rise, I must see him and tell him how far we have progressed. Once he hears that progress is being made, he feels a bit happy.
“He is also pleased with what we have done in terms of the narrow gauge. Between now and December we should ensure efficiency in the narrow gauge. We are bringing in more locomotives, we are bringing in more coaches and wagons.
“In terms of the narrow gauge, if not for a hitch, we would have commenced trucking cargo from Apapa seaport to Ebute Meta and take away the challenges we are having with that Apapa bridge and the bad road, that will happen before December.”
He revealed that more locomotive engines were being expected for the Kaduna-Abuja and Itakpe-Warri rail lines.
According to him, “We are expecting ten for Kaduna/Abuja, another seven will also come and that seven we hopefully think it will go to Itakpe/Warri because we believe by next year June, Itakpe-Warri should be ready.”
On the Calabar port dredging project, he also confirmed that $16 billion would be needed to execute it but would be done through PPP.
Speaking further on it, he said: “The total expenditure for that area may come to about $16 billion. Not all necessarily loan. The first step of action is PPP. It is after we finish with PPP that we can say the actual total figure of what the loan will look like.”
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