The Federal Government is to engage the army and police to design a security template for all the rail corridors in the country as a way to stem the tide of train attack and threats. The Minister of Transportation, Engr. Mu’azu Sambo who disclosed this added that government would prioritize the completion of the Kano-Kaduna Rail project due to the immense socio-economic impact it will have not only on the communities along the rail corridor but the country as a whole.
Sambo, who stated this on Thursday in Kano while on inspection tour of the ongoing rail project said: “We know that most of the agricultural products in Nigeria are produced in the northern part of the country and taken to the south while goods that are imported into the country that comes through the seaports have to come through the south. So, it is an understatement if I say that this project is critical to the well-being of Nigerians”.
On the issue of insecurity which has been a major drawback and largely responsible for the contractor, Messrs. China Civil Engineering and Construction Company (CCECC) to be able to deliver just 12% percent after eleven months, the Minister said.: “I intend to engage the armed forces and the police in order to design a template for security, not only along this corridor but it will serve as a template for all other corridors that we are going to be doing whether it be existing contracts along different sections or for new ones that will come up later”.
Mu’azu, also spoke on encroachment on lands for which the Ministry has already paid compensation and acquired, assuring that a high-level meeting with the Governor of Kano state, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, should address such issues.
The Transportation Minister, later inspected the ongoing University of Transportation project, in Daura where he said the proposed December, 2023 completion date is not acceptable and urged Messrs. CCECC to hasten on earlier delivery date.
The Minister was accompanied on the inspection by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation (FMT), Dr. Magdalene Ajani, Board Chairman, Nigeria Railway Corporation, NRC, Engr. Alhassan Ibrahim, the Managing Director, NRC, Engr. Fidet Okhiria, Director, Rail Transport Services, FMT, Engr. Jimoh Yusuf and others.
