Amaechi: Turbaning as Dan Amana, An Appreciation of Hard Work

Kasim Sumaina in Kano

The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has hinted the significance of the title, Dan Amana of the Daura Emirate which is to be bestowed on him today by the Emir of Daura in Katsina State as an appreciation of hard work.

This is even as he expressed confidence that the Kaduna-Kano railway project under construction would be completed before the end of President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
Amaechi who made this known yesterday during the inspection tour of the project in Kano State, however, hinged his confidence on funding.

The minister, who will be turbaned as Dan Amana of Daura today, said the motivation behind the work he is putting in to ensure modernisation of rail infrastructure in the country is national interest.
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the inspection, he said: “We agree that if we fund them, they must complete the work. They must do what they agree that they will do. The conversation we had with them is that they must break this work into parts so that everybody will be working at the same time. If they do that I am sure that before May, 2023 we will have commercial activity on the track.”
He stated that the route will be used to convey both passengers and cargo, stating: “One of the most economic nerve centres in the country is Kano and Lagos, the reason why this track is the most economically viable track.”
He further added that the economic activities that take place in Kano can be conveyed to Lagos viz a viz those who produce in Lagos can have their products conveyed to Kano. “This will create jobs and the cost of land here will not be the same.”

On intra-city rail transportation, Amaechi explained that the two states likely to benefit from intra-city rail transport are Rivers and Lagos states. The Lagos route he said terminates in Calabar, while the Port Harcourt rail will terminate in Maiduguri because the rail will take part of the city, “this way and part of the city that way same way with Rivers State. You see, that at a point Lagos Calabar will have to meet with Port Harcourt Railway and run side by side inside some part of these major cities.

Speaking on funding, he disclosed that he had never denied that the country and the ministry were having financial challenges and that is because of economic downturn, noting: “The Chinese are not finding things the way they used to do, till now we are yet to conclude on loans for this project, so we are funding it from the budget.

“We are putting pressure on all the necessary institutions that used to give us funds. And hopefully, before May we will be able to get enough funds to complete this project.”

On local content, he hinted that the government is encouraging not only the use of local materials but passing those kinds of jobs to Nigerians. “Not just about the economic benefits, it is not good for the Chinese to come here and we borrow N2 billion, take the whole profit and go to their country. They should also spend part of it on the country. He also said that on quality of work, “in terms of quality they are not doing badly, I don’t know if I should attribute that to the inspection by TEAM , but you must also credit CCECC, but what it means is that they should not sleep. That is why we insist that TEAM must be present at every meeting because TEAM has the final say not the minister.

“We insist the Chinese should bring enough equipment because what we suffered in Lagos Ibadan was because equipments were breaking down and they could not place orders for new ones but for this one, they should buy all the equipment that they need so that as it breaks down they replace,” he concluded.