Minister of Transportation has lamented the slow pace of work on the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri rail line.
Senator Saidu Alkali expressed disappointment during a visit to Rivers State for an inspection of ongoing work on the project.
This is part of the Minster‘s tour of railway projects across the country.
His first stop is the train station in Port Harcourt.
The old tracks are being replaced with new ones for the proposed narrow gauge rail lines.
From here, the delegation traced the rail line by road to Oyibo Local Government Area.
It appears that all hands are on deck to deliver the project according to schedule and quality specifications but the Minister is not satisfied.
According to him, the Federal Government has since released 15 percent of the funds required but the contractor have failed to deliver the balance of 85 percent as agreed two years ago.
Despite the setbacks, the minister says the government would see the project to completion due to its importance to the country’s economy.
The Port Harcourt-Maiduguri eastern rail line was initially meant to be completed before the 29th of May, 2023.
Amongst other factors, challenges with the counterpart funding arrangement played a major role in delaying the project.
Faced with all of these, the Government is yet to announce a new timeline.
