Lagos-Ibadan railway to be completed in December – Amaechi

Minister of Transport, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi has said that the Federal Government is insisting on the completion of the Lagos-Ibadan railway by December and has thus decided that the construction company should move back to Lagos and commence construction immediately. Amaechi disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents on the outcome of his meeting with Lagos state governor,
Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode in Lagos House on Thursday.

 The construction company handling the project is the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, CCECC. According to him, there are two types of railway the FG is working on, “the narrow gauge which is already on and the standard gauge and they are emptying into the Apapa Sea port.” He said that Lagos has two mega stations which are at Apapa and Ebute Metta but that both stations are too small, “so we are going to expand the two stations. “We are going to have a Mall and hotel in the two stations, but we are looking for investors.

So we should have two very big stations in Lagos, one in Apapa and the other in Ebute Metta; then Abeokuta and Ibadan. Amaechi also said that the FG on Wednesday awarded a contract on the Tin Can-Oworonshoki-Ojota road and that Dangote was doing one other part of it. “What we are trying to do there is to get good roads to evacuate cargoes, but it will be faster with the rail.
So while we are working hard to make sure that the rail is delivered by this year ending, FG has also awarded a contract to deal with the road from Apapa and Tin Can to enable us evacuate cargoes freely and that is an addition to the rail”, Amaechi said.

 The Minister praised Governor Ambode who he said has been “very cooperative from the beginning till now”, he also praised the communities from Lagos to Ibadan that allowed the FG to use their land for the project, adding that “we are here to see a win-win situation”. Also addressing the correspondents, Ambode thanked the FG and the Federal Executive Council, FEC for approving the reconstruction of the Tin Can-Apapa-Oshodi expressway up to the toll gate on Wednesday.

 The Minister praised Governor Ambode who he said has been “very cooperative from the beginning till now”, he also praised the communities from Lagos to Ibadan that allowed the FG to use their land for the project, adding that “we are here to see a win-win situation”.

 Also addressing the correspondents, Ambode thanked the FG and the Federal Executive Council, FEC for approving the reconstruction of the Tin Can-Apapa-Oshodi expressway up to the toll gate on Wednesday.