Minister of Transport, Chief Rotimi Amaechi, has explained that his summon by President Muhammadu Buhari was for him to come and update him on state of things with the $16 billion rail project in South East and other parts of the country.
The former Governor of Rivers State, now Minister of one of most vital portfolios in the Buhari administration, made this known while addressing State House correspondents after meeting the President in Aso Rock Presidential Villa on Thursday.
It would be recalled that Minister of Solid Minerals, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, had earlier in the week also visited the President to update him concerning Ajaokuta and other aspects of his own ministerial responsibilities.
Amaechi admitted that there were “issues around the transport” that he had to discuss with the president.
According to the minister, President Buhari sleeps and wakes thinking about the railways and if he does not want his blood pressure to rise, he must brief him about issues in the railway subsector.
He recalled that an approval had been given for the eastern flank of the railway modernisation “which has to do with from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri cutting across Aba, Owerri, Enugu, Umuahia to Makurdi, Abakiliki, Awka and Lafia down to Bauchi, Gombe, Yola and to Damaturu and ends at Borno.”
He stated: “That is why I was summoned. Don’t forget that the president sleeps and wakes up thinking about railway and if his BP will not rise, I must see him and tell him how far we’ve progressed. Once he hears that progress is being made he feels a bit happy.
The minister emphasised that the money was not available for the eastern railway project, but said the government was considering a Public-Private arrangement.
“There are approvals, but we have to look for the money, the money is just not there. It is not easy, it is a total of about $16 billon and you don’t pluck $16 billion from the sky,” Amaechi said.
