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PORT HARCOURT-ENUGU RAIL LINE: MINISTER FROWNS AT SLOW PACE OF WORK
The Minister of Transport, Sen. Said Ahmed Alkali, has expressed displeasure at the snail speed at which reconstruction work on rail lines from Port Harcourt to Enugu state is going on.
Visibly angry at the pace of work, the minister said the intention of government to finish the project in record time would be defeated unless the contractor handling the job buckled up.
Alkali who expressed the displeasure weekend in Isiagu, Ebonyi State, when he embarked on a final inspection of the project, said instead of using modern technology to execute the job, the contractor was using manual efforts, a situation that would drag the project beyond expectation.
The minister said he had inspected the project before now and thought significant progress would have been made.
“We are in Ebonyi to inspect the slipper factory which the contractor is using for the corridor so that we see things for ourselves. However, my impression is not too good because when I came to the factory it looked as if there is no cohesion.
“I sought for explanation from the contractor and he said they have some challenges of funding,” he said.
The minister added that the federal government had been playing their part to see the job executed and the contractor should as well do his own part.
“On our side as a government we have done our best even from inception. They should gear up on their own part to continue so that we make progress from Port Harcourt to Enugu and from Port Harcourt, we try to see if we can link Onne,” Alkali said.
He challenged the contractor to galvanise and gear up for the project.
“I challenged the contractor on the security aspect of the corridor and I also challenged him on the technologies they are using on the project because they are using manual instead of modern technology.”
