The minister of transportation, Mu’azu Sambo, has announced that work on the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri rail line has been halted.
He spoke during an inspection tour of the project in Port Harcourt, Rivers state capital, according to a statement issued on Saturday.
He stated that the suspension was necessary due to insecurity and vandalism of railway properties along the corridor.
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Sambo stated that the China Civil Engineering and Construction Company (CCECC), the contractor in charge of the project’s rehabilitation and reconstruction, had reported attacks on its workers along the Abia state axis.
“I am very displeased by these acts and I condemn it in strong terms,” the minister said.
“In the history of Nigeria, no administration has invested more in rail infrastructure like the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
“I call on the media and the judiciary to collaborate with the ministry to ensure that these economic saboteurs are not only exposed but prosecuted and sentenced speedily to serve as a deterrent to others.
Sambo also denied reports that funds intended for the eastern rail line had been diverted to other projects, calling them “fake news.”
“The progress made so far is from 15 percent of the counterpart funding by Nigeria while the 85 percent to be provided by foreign partners is still negotiated,” he added.
The Herald recalls that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had approved the $3 billion reconstruction and rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri rail line in 2020.
New branches of the rail line are expected to run from Port Harcourt to Bonny and from Port Harcourt to Owerri.