On March 19 this year, eight officials of the Federal Ministry of Transportation and the Nigerian Railway Corporation huddled together in Abuja with representatives of three contracting firms handling various sections of the Port Harcourt – Maiduguri Eastern Railway.
Insiders at the transportation ministry told PREMIUM TIMES the three firms – Eser W.A. Limited, CGGC Global Projects Nigeria Limited and Lingo Nigeria Limited – have since complied with the directive. For weeks, PREMIUM TIMES tried to obtain details of the exit plans submitted by the contractors but officials were reluctant to make the documents available.
A month-long investigation by this paper has, however, shown that the most problematic of the contracts was that awarded to Lingo Nigeria. Our investigation involved an extensive review of documents, interviews with officials and tracking of the rail track across three states, namely Plateau, Bauchi, and Gombe.
At the March 19 meeting at the transportation ministry, Mr Ukachukwu claimed his company delivered 60-70 per cent of the contract. Mr Ukachukwu even claimed that he had so well delivered on the job that trains were now using the part his company rehabilitated to ferry people from Kuru to Gombe. Advised by railway engineering experts, we set a methodical approach to determining sections rehabilitated by the Chinese firm hired by Lingo and those untouched. The railway tracks have sleepers – beams laid transversely under the tracks for support and on which trains move.
Bakin Kogi station in Plateau State. Rehabilitation work from Kuru stopped at a village, Ringi, just before the Bakin Kogi station and from there no work until inside Gombe station, meaning over 300 KM of no work. Taiwo Hassan Adebayo/PT“They did not reach Bakin Kogi,” a track official said of Lingo work from Kuru. “They stopped at a village before the station and the old one continued from there.”Then, from Ringi, no rehabilitation was done until a point inside Gombe station.
A part of the line, at Dukul in Gombe, without sleepers, making trains unable to pass Pic. Taiwo-Hassan Adebay/PT Determined to terminate the contract to enable re-procurement, the NRC had, via a March 20, 2020 letter, asked Mr Ukachukwu to submit an exit plan. The businessman had during the Abuja meeting told officials that “60-70 per cent of works have been completed and commissioned and trains are running from Kuru to Gombe”, according to minutes of the meeting seen by PREMIUM TIMES.
A watery attempt at throwing dark shadows over the positive steps this administration (has) is taking on our railway infrastructure. Rehashing issues/events of 2010 like they happened yesterday wouldn't wash.
Adding buhari's nameis misleading !
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