The Federal Executive Council has approved N1.4 billion for the purchase of spare parts and repairs of a crane of the Nigeria Railway Corporation.
The Minister of Transportation, Umar Sambo made the disclosure while briefing State House Correspondents at the end of this week’s cabinet meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said the crane, which plays a vital role in carrying out activities of the Corporation, is now broken down and needs to be fixed.
“Today I had the privilege of presenting before the council a memorandum from the Ministry of Transportation on behalf of one of its agencies, the Nigeria Railway Corporation, for the purchase of spare parts and to undertake the repairs and overhaul of one of its critical cranes.
“Council considered the memorandum because this crane is required by the Corporation for emergency repairs of its rolling stock; it has broken down and therefore needs to be fixed. Approval was given in the total sum of N1, 491, 065, 722.72 inclusive of 7.5 percent VAT with a completion period of 12 months.”
Answering questions on the suspension of the Abuja-Kaduna railway service following the March 2022 attack on the train, explained that two core matters remain at the heart of the Abuja-Kaduna train services.
According to him, “These include families traumatized over their family members still in captivity of terrorists and the need to have surveillance facilities to monitor the tracks.”
He said the government is looking at the best options in terms of the surveillance including to concession it in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement.
When asked about the exact time lines to execute the initiative, Muazu said: “If I give a timeline, I’ll be lying to you. It will be insensitive to restart the service if some families weep day and night over their family members still in the bush.”
The Minister said the government is mindful of the cost involved but should be able to report definite progress in about a month.
PIAK
