Amaechi inspects Lagos-Ibadan rail project

The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has embarked on an inspection tour of the Lagos-Ibadan rail line.

Amaechi and 42 others were assigned portfolios at the swearing in ceremony on Wednesday, August 21, 2019.

Transport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, and Gbemisola Saraki (State). [Israel Ibeleme] Pulse Nigeria

In a statement by his media aide, Israel Ibeleme, the Minister expressed his commitment towards "ensuring the development of a robust rail infrastructure in line with President Muhammadu Buhari's vision of connecting Nigeria through an affordable transport system".

The minister had made the inspection of the rail project, in his first four years in office, a monthly routine since 2017.

Abeokuta-Ibadan standard gauge railway near completion - Amaechi [Twitter/BashirAhmad] Pulse Nigeria

During the last inspection tour of the project on May 10, 2019, about two weeks to the beginning of a new democratic dispensation, the Minster announced that the track laying on Lagos-Ibadan rail line would be completed by the end of May ahead of its scheduled three years completion date

The 157km Lagos-Ibadan rail project was awarded in 2017 to the Chinese Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) to the tune of $1.6 billion with a three years completion agreement.

Speaking shortly after the inspection of the project in Ibadan, in May, the Minister said the laying of the rail tracks had already gotten to 123 kilometres

"So it is remaining 34 to 35km which they confirmed would be completed before the end of May," he said.

Currently, the laying of tracks from Iju-Ibadan had been completed, while construction work from Ebute meta to Apapa is ongoing.