Rehabilitation of Port Harcourt-Maiduguri Railway Ready, June -Minister

The Minister of Trans
port, Sen. Idris Umar, said on Saturday, that the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt–Maiduguri railway would be completed in June this year.
Umar said this in Lafia, when he inspected the level of work done so far on the project.
He said that the inspection was borne out of the desire to have firsthand knowledge of the level of work and interact with the contractors handling the project.
Umar, who expressed satisfaction with the level of work, however, observed that environmental challenges such as erosion had slowed down the pace of work.
He commended Nasarawa State Government for complementing Federal Government’s efforts on the project by constructing drainage facilities to check erosion in some segments of the rail line.
Umar urged other state governments to emulate their Nasarawa counterparts by providing necessary support towards the timely completion of the project.
“Although this is a Federal Government project but it will be enjoyed by all.
“It will not be out of place for states and local government council to fast track its completion for the benefit of the people,” Umar said.
Our correspondent reports that the minister was accompanied on the inspection by the Managing Director of Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), Mr Adeseyi Sijuwade.