Uncertainty Looms Over Completion Of Lagos-Ibadan Rail Project

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By; MATTHEW UKACHUNWA, Lagos
The completion of Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge railway project by December this year and subsequent commissioning of it by January 2019 is no longer a certainty.
Minister of Transportation, Mr. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, disclosed the development during his routine monthly inspection of the project on Tuesday (16th January, 2018).
When he inspected the progress of work in December last year,  he said the project would be ready in December 2018 and would be commissioned in January 2019.
Explaining the reason for the uncertainty in delivering the project on  target, he said:  Before they (contractors) were keeping to schedule but now they are not meeting the schedule.
Contending with approaching rainy season, challenges of removing obstructive materials from the right of way, such as water, gas and fuel pipelines; paying the villagers whose lands were acquired for the project site, etc were stated by the minister as things causing setback to the progress of work.
For example, “You cannot do the civil work because  there is problem with the land owners.  You cannot start laying tracks when you have not done the civil work,” Amaechi elaborated while responding to a question on when the laying of tracks would begin.
He, however, expressed hope that civil work would be finished before rainy season sets in.
The transportation minister pledged to pay landowners, and advised them to avoid consulting lawyers to help them procure Power of Attorney.  He said that the 10 per cent commission they will pay to the lawyers will belong to them if they bypass the lawyers.
“I have decided to pay the money to the claimants,” Amaechi assured.  “The issue of Power of Attorney
is not binding on us.  You can go to court after we have finished paying the money,” ´he charged.
He frowned at lawyers who take advantage of the gullibility and ignorance of the villagers to exploit them by making them believe that government will not pay them without them obtaining Power of Attorney.
The transportation minister was delighted by the response of the military in relation to their land that fell into the project sight, as well as the arrangements being made by Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to remove its pipelines and other belongings affected by the project.

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