President General of Ohanaeze
Ndigbo, Chief John Nwodo in a
statement said there was no
justification in excluding the
region from the plan.

• Adeosun defends Buhari’s
$5.8b loan request

The $5.851 billion China Exim Bank
loan request submitted by
President Muhammadu Buhari to
the Senate may be stalled, as
senators from the South East
protest alleged exclusion of their geopolitical zone from the rail
modernisation project nationwide.

Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP,
Abia South) in a motion titled,
“Outright Omission of Eastern
Corridor Rail Line in the request
for approval of Federal
Government 2016-2015 External Borrowing (Rolling Plan),” said
the exclusion is “inexplicable.”

Also, the Apex Igbo socio-cultural
organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo
has protested the exclusion of the
zone from the multi-billion naira
railway projects, describing it as
an injustice.

President General of Ohanaeze
Ndigbo, Chief John Nwodo in a
statement said there was no
justification in excluding the
region from the plan. But, the
Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun while appearing before the Senate
Committee on Local and Foreign
Debts, headed by Senator Shehu
Sani defended the loan request,
saying the $5.815 billion loan was
a comprehensive railway project for the entire nation.

Adeosun added that any loan
request from China is tied to a
condition and the condition is that
the Chinese firm would execute the
contracts involving the loan
request, adding that the Port Harcourt to Maiduguri rail projects
would be captured in the next loan
request.

However, Chairman of the
committee, Senator Shehu Sani
expressed concern that a Chinese
firm approved a loan for Nigeria
and would execute the project.

Senate President, Bukola Saraki,
assured the protesting lawmakers
that the leadership of the Senate,
had already taken a position of the
non-inclusion of some parts of the
country in the proposed modernisation.

He said the Senate Committee on
Local and Foreign Debts was
already working on the loan
request. Senator Gbenga Ashafa
(APC, Lagos East) who heads the
Senate Committee on Land Transport, urged them to pass the
loan request.

According to him, “the Calabar to
Lagos coastal rail would pass
through Obudu Cattle Ranch-
Calabar-Uyo-Aba-PH-Yenagoa-
Otuoke-Yenagoa-Ughelli-Sapele-
Benin-Agbor-Asaba-Onitsha-Benin- Ijebu Ode- Ore-Sagamu-Lagos
Seaports; and the Lagos-Kano:
Lagos-Ibadan-Ilorin-Minna-
Kaduna-Kano.’’

“Hence it can be seen that the
project touches at least two major
states in the South East being
Anambra (Onitsha) and Abia State
(Aba)." The Senate resolved to
summon the Minister of Transport, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, to
appear and explain the reasons for
the exclusion of the Eastern
corridor from the proposed loan
from China Exim bank.

https://m.guardian.ng/news/senators-ohanaeze-decry-south-easts-exclusion-from-rail-projects/

Confused people

Tbh the East needs this

Yes, and they are correct.

Since the archaic Quota and zoning systems are still being used for distributing projects; it should be an all-inclusive process then.

All these loopsided allocations; they think they are f00ling somebody.

With all due respect to the east, these Senators should be stoned. Can you imagine, all these while, when budget was being prepared, they did not say anything. Even when the issue of Amaechi sneaking or padding in South to North rail project, they were aware and partook in approving it. Now budget is 80% passed and almost ready, you now open your stinking mouth to complain. Come to think of it, what is ekweremadu do there if he can't influence projects like this to his region. I pity people who support these politicians, they are all the same.

kessgreen:
With all due respect to the east, these Senators should be stoned. Can you imagine, all these while, when budget was being prepared, they did not say anything. Even when the issue of Amaechi sneaking or padding in South to North rail project, they were aware and partook in approving it. Now budget is 80% passed and almost ready, you now open your stinking mouth to complain. Come to think of it, what is ekweremadu do there if he can't influence projects like this to his region. I pity people who support these politicians, they are all the same.

u get brain..those senators are high..were they blind before?