Railway

Why $5.3bn Ibadan-Kano rail loan approval is delayed – Amaechi

Published

4 years ago

March 30, 2021

Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has accused some selfish lawmakers of causing the long delay in securing $5.3bn China loan approval for the construction of the second phase of the new Lagos-Kano railway project (Ibadan-Kano) with their ‘frivolous’ probe.

He said the probe and generated publicity on the details of a 2018 Chinese loan agreement had negatively affected the country and delayed the approval of the loan for the railway project.

The first phase, Lagos-Ibadan rail line costing about $2bn is currently on trial run, having been substantially completed.

In July 2020, a House of Representatives panel had raised the alarm over clauses conceding Nigeria’s sovereignty to China in a loan agreement.

The probe dragged on for weeks, despite assurances from Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation, that the Federal Government will work in the best interest of Nigerians, while Amaechi had also warned that the investigation may affect Nigeria’s chances when it comes to loans.

Giving an update on the situation on Monday when he featured on a Channels Television programme, Amaechi said the probe resulted in seven months of “waste”, as the approval process was delayed.

“That’s where we are. The loan for Ibadan to Kano, up till now we haven’t got the approval. And at the point that happened, we were just on the verge of getting approval. They withdrew. They’re asking more questions,” the minister said.

“The two things I said at that meeting; they’re happening now. There are other countries we have loan agreements with, that we entered into agreement to borrow money from. They don’t usually ask for immunity clause, because they trust you, so they expect that you’ll pay back. The moment you brought this to the public, it was ‘ah! You’re giving China immunity clause, so you must give us.’

“The selfishness of those members, who I don’t know what they’re pursuing, has put the country into jeopardy. Now, other countries are asking for immunity clause in their own agreements.

“The other aspect I said was that the Chinese may likely withdraw. That’s where we are; we’re talking to them. They’ve promised to give us the loan, but at least it’s held us back since June till now. We’ve done seven months. If they had give us money since June, we’ll have gone far. We would have started clearing by now. But imagine seven months wasted because one or some few members of the house of reps went to the public.”

Amaechi also gave a brief explanation of what was covered in the immunity clause regarding the Chinese loan agreement.

“I’ve explained over and over that what the immunity clause simply does is to say ‘look, in case you’re not able to pay back, I want to be given the opportunity to take you to court or to arbitration as it is in the clause’,” he said.

“What the immunity clause does for us as Nigeria is that you can go for everything in case the court awards you anything, but you can’t go for our diplomatic assets, military assets, oil assets. So, what’s remaining? Airport, railway… those are things you can go for in case the court awards you.”

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Railway

NRC increases trips on Abuja-Kaduna route from four to six

Published

2 days ago

November 14, 2024

Trends Admin

NRC increases trips on Abuja-Kaduna route from four to six

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has announced an increase in the number of trains on its Abuja-Kaduna Train Service (AKTS) route in response to rising demand based on its customer feedback.

A statement signed by the NRC Deputy Director of Public Relations, Yakub Mahmood, on Wednesday, said the number of trains had been increased to six from four, running Monday to Friday during peak periods.

This development, it added, aimed to enhance customer satisfaction by making commuting more convenient and accessible on the route as well as tackling complaints of ticket racketeering.

The statement quoted the acting Managing Director of the NRC, Ben Iloanusi, as saying that a five-month trend analysis revealed a 22 per cent increase in new passengers registering on the ticketing platform for the Abuja-Kaduna route.

The surge, he said, showed a growing preference among Nigerians for train travel as a comfortable, reliable, and safe commuting option.

The statement read, “The Nigerian Railway Corporation, reaffirming its commitment to responding to customer demands, improving customer satisfaction, and tackling complaints of ticket racketeering, has increased the number of train services from four to six from Monday to Friday when demand tends to peak on its AKTS route.”

The NRC also noted that similar trends had been observed on the Lagos-Ibadan, Warri-Itakpe, and Port Harcourt-Aba routes, with efforts already underway to enhance services along these routes as well.

The acting MD assured Nigerians of the increased presence of NRC senior management across all train service routes to drive continuous efficiency and tackle the issue of ticket racketeering head-on.

“Our valued customers are encouraged to use NRC ticket platforms online to take advantage of the increased services and avoid patronising ticket racketeers.

“Additional information can be obtained from the NRC website, www.nrc.gov.ng,” it stated.

The expanded services on the Abuja-Kaduna route, it said, followed similar enhancements on the Lagos-Ibadan route, which now includes additional trips on Fridays and Saturdays to accommodate increasing demand.

Railway

Nigerian railway adds extra train to Friday, Saturday trips on Lagos-Ibadan route

Published

3 days ago

November 12, 2024

Trends Admin

Nigerian railway adds extra train to Friday, Saturday trips on Lagos-Ibadan route

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has announced the introduction of additional train trips on its Lagos-Ibadan Train Service (LITS) route, exclusively for Fridays and Saturdays.

This initiative increases weekend trips from two to three, offering commuters greater travel flexibility.

The announcement, made via the NRC’s official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Tuesday, revealed that the new Lagos-to-Ibadan trip will depart at 1:40 pm, complementing the existing schedules of 7:45 am and 4:00 pm.

For the Ibadan-to-Lagos route, the additional trip is set for 10:50 am, joining the regular departures at 8:00 am and 4:30 pm.

Nigerian railway adds extra train to Friday, Saturday trips on Lagos-Ibadan route

Railway

Nigeria gets $350m AfDB facility for Kano-Maradi rail project

Published

3 weeks ago

October 28, 2024

Trends Admin

Nigeria gets $350m AfDB facility for Kano-Maradi rail project

The Federal Government of Nigeria has secured $350 million from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to fund the construction of the Kano-Maradi rail project, which will connect Kano to Maradi in Niger Republic.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Land Transport, Senator Adamu Aliero, made this disclosure on Monday during an oversight visit to the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) headquarters in Lagos, as reported by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Aliero stated that the Kano-Maradi rail project is part of the government’s broader efforts to modernize Nigeria’s railway network and enhance regional trade links.