Kasim Sumaina in Abuja
The federal government yesterday signed a contract agreement of $6.68billion on the Ibadan-Kaduna Railway segment of the Lagos-Kano Railway Line with the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC).
The Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, in a statement by the ministry in Abuja, noted that the contract agreement is for the implementation of addendum number four Ibadan- Kaduna segment of the Lagos- Kano rail line at the cost of $6.68 billion
According to the statement, “This one is Ibadan- Kaduna rail line which is part of the Lagos-Kano rail line†he said.
The minister added that the completion time of the contract should between 2 to 3 years depending on the availability of funds.
“The ministry should be able to provide its counterpart funding between this year and next year budget provision.
“The Ibadan- Kaduna Standard Gauge line will pass through Osogbo-Ilorin-Minna to Kaduna, with a single track branch line from Osogbo to Ado-Ekiti.
“This contract is in fulfilment of federal government’s plan to complete the Lagos- Kano rail modernization Project which was started in 2006 and broken into segments for implementation in 2008.
“The segmentation phase commenced in Abuja- Kaduna Rail Line in 2011 which was completed and commissioned into commercial operation by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016.
“The federal government in March 2017 commenced implementation of the second leg of the Lagos-Kano line which is the Lagos-Ibadan rail line that is currently on-going and is planned to be completed by the end of 2018.
“Signing of this Ibadan-Kaduna segment contract agreement today concludes all outstanding segment of Lagos – Kano rail line.
