15 months to deadline, FG okays progress on Lagos-Ibadan railway 

Barely 15 months to the deadline the Federal Government promised to deliver the ongoing construction of a standard railway line from Lagos to Ibadan, Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi yesterday in Lagos expressed satisfaction with the level of work the contractors have done so far

The minister, who had warned the contractor handling the project against failing to deliver restated government’s commitment o the project, saying that there’s no going back on the December 2018 delivery deadline. 

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who commissioned the project earlier in the year had said about half a million jobs would be created through the project, while the administration intends to focus on a sustainable mode of transportation that would back the country’s industrialisation drive. Speaking while inspecting the project, Amaechi said the government would fast-track bottlenecks that may hinder speedy delivery of the project. 

While the Oshodi and Ikeja bridges in Lagos, and ongoing construction of flyover at Ijoko, Ogun state, as well as pipelines and electricity infrastructure were identified as major impediments to the project, Amaechi said the government would not delay in finding the best solutions to the projects. 

While most of the challenges are within Lagos, Amaechi, who said the rail track was position such that it could lead to diversification of wealth and economic activities said, “The project cut across three states, if we encounter challenges somewhere, we will continue in other areas pending when we address the challenges.”