$3.02bn for PH-Maiduguri rail line

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FG approves reconstruction of Port Harcourt-Maiduguri rail line

The Federal Executive Council on Wednesday approved the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri Eastern Narrow Gauge at a cost of $3.02bn.

This was disclosed by the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, while speaking with State House Correspondents at the end of the weekly executive council meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Amaechi also told reporters that the council approved the construction of a deep seaport at Bonny and a railway industrial park in Port Harcourt, both in Rivers State at the cost of $703.1m.

He, however, said the two projects would be at no cost to the Federal Government because they are to be funded through Public-Private Partnership arrangement.

He noted that the industrial park would cost $241.2m while the Bonny Deep Seaport will take $461.9m

The minister explained that the Port Harcourt to Maiduguri narrow gauge railway will have new branch lines: from Port Harcourt to Bonny and from Port Harcourt to Owerri are new lines.

There will also be another connecting narrow gauge to standard gauge at Kafanchan, while there will be a branch line from Gombe or before Maiduguri to Damaturu and Gashau.

In another development, the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, said the council approved the establishment of  Shoe, Garment, and Leather Processing Factories in Aba, Abia State as well as Janguza, Kano State for the Nigeria Correctional Service.

The Minister informed that beside the employment of Nigerians, the facilities will offer opportunity for training of the inmates in those correctional facilities.

The contract for these projects is given to Messrs LG Investment Limited, a Nigerian company which is partnering with a Chinese company, Full Technology Incorporated from Beijing, China, the Minister said.

 

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