By Moshood Adebayo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday slammed ex-President Goodluck Jonathan for lacking vision  in the rehabilitation of the railways.

He based his criticism on the fact that the railway lines were obsolete as they were constructed in 1903 and could not match the modern global trends.

The Jonathan administration embarked on the rehabilitation of the railway system with a view of overhauling the sector which had decayed for years and abandoned by previous governments.

“For what reason should anybody in his right senses in Nigeria of today believe that rehabilitating the railway system which was completed in 1903 to carry three million tonnes of goods is what we need today,” he said.

The former president who spoke during a television programme monitored yesterday said there was no earthly reason why the rehabilitated railway system of Nigeria today could serve Nigerians

Obasanjo, who  noted that the system was divided into two, Eastern and Western, lamented that the latter caused a whooping $8.3 billion Dollars

According to him, ‘if Nigeria would achieve the vision 20-20-20, we would need a first class land, water and air transportation, and good land transportation can only be railway and roads.



http://sunnewsonline.com/new/railways-jonathan-lacked-vision-obasanjo/

I don't know I found this funny Obj you that waste eight years without adding any track still has the gut to talk. I wonder why this shameless man can't rest and enjoy his loot in peace.

mumu OBJ

gorilla from the zoo nation

Obasanjo lacked focus

obj been blasting GEJ since 1880

Buh baba wait o..while you were dere u didn't do jack, u neva gave a 4k

Oga Vision!!

If Jonathan was clueless, Baba OBJ was also greedy and his third term agenda is still fresh in our memory. Besides, if Jonathan lacks foresight, it is OBJ's fault since the Bayelsa man is his boy. Baba should just leave him alone.

Fayose come oh... OBJ has started again oh...

I don't know why elders from the southwest like to talk too much
, he spent 8 years and didn't do anything, jonathan spent 6 and he did railway. Obj is just fooling his old age

post=36384010:
For what reason should anybody in his right senses in Nigeria of today believe that rehabilitating the railway system which was completed in 1903 to carry three million tonnes of goods is what we need today,” he said

Baba, anyone perptually high on ogogoro can never make right decisions. That aside, Baba when you were there, you did nothing. All the federal roads were death traps in your time. While I do not approve of GEJ and his Scamformation Agenda or Scam-P, he did far better than you infrastructure-wise.

What most do not know is that GEJ's railway was a bastardization of the project began by OBJ. OBJ completed the design, awarded the contract and started the project only for GEJ to bastardize the project with an obsolete design while stealing loads of money

at least gej try, wetin Im do?

This baba again?

Taylor86:
mumu OBJ

gorilla from the zoo nation

That foolish ape won't rest tot of jonathan gives him election he shd go suck Oby ezekwesili expired boobs to save him from going senile

Genius100:
What most do not know is that GEJ's railway was a bastardization of the project began by OBJ. OBJ completed the design, awarded the contract and started the project only for GEJ to bastardize the project with an obsolete design while stealing loads of money

He spent 4 years completing a design? He should be smacked on the bum for his tardiness and clueless behaviour!

Ucheosefoh:
I don't know I found this funny Obj you that waste eight years without adding any track still has the gut to talk. I wonder why this shameless man can't rest and enjoy his loot in peace.

Etruth:

Baba, anyone perptually high on ogogoro can never make right decisions. That aside, Baba when you were there, you did nothing. All the federal roads were death traps in your time. While I do not approve of GEJ and his Scamformation Agenda or Scam-P, he did far better than you infrastructure-wise.

For those of you wondering what OBJ did in 8 years, you are not to be blamed. Most Nigerian Africans only see the present and are incapable of looking into the future or seeing the bigger picture. To most Africans, a good president is the one that builds/renovates roads for immediate consumption.

Obj saved several billions of dollars in his 8 years of leadership so that his successor will have funds to bring about massive infrastructural development. Go and check the amount he met in Nigerian coffers in 1999 when he assumed office and also check the amount he left behind when he left. Good leadership requires forward thinking, vision and proper planning. It is not about indiscriminately awarding contracts or what you achieve now, but rather, it is about what your efforts achieve much later for your constituents.

After many years of military rule, OBJ successfully lifted Nigeria out of a deep economic and political pit and placed Nigeria on the world economic map. OBJ cleared Nigeria's external debts and boosted our foreign reserves like never before. The reason behind that was to strengthen Nigeria's credit worthiness and restore Nigeria's political relevance in the international scheme of things. OBJ's 'wasted' 8 years was wasted in building a mega-momentum for the nation to launch us into massive infrastructural development. Unfortunately for OBJ and for Nigeria, OBJ never knew his successors were going to be visionless, irresponsible wasters.

The train tracks you talk about, it was under OBJ's regime that the masterplan of the modernised Nigerian railway system was prepared. OBJ successfully constructed the Ajaokuta - Warri standard gauge line (which is of great economic importance to the steel cities) and he was about commencing the Abuja to Kaduna standard gauge rail when he handed over to Yaradua. However GEJ came in and renovated the 1903 narrow gauge tracks from Lagos to Kano instead of following the masterplan which was meant to replace the old tracks with modern standard gauges. Now we can only have snail speed trains and people are celebrating GEJ and insulting OBJ. A little investigation would even reveal that the money squandered in resuscitating the 1903 lines would have at least built half of the modern lines thereby giving us standard world class high speed trains.

OBJ= Obasanjo Bombs Jonathan

phransix147:
Fayose come oh... OBJ has started again oh...

Hahahaha you wan make baba take cover

obailala:
Obj saved several billions of dollars in his 8 years of leadership so that his successor will have funds to bring about massive infrastructural development. Go and check the amount he met in Nigerian coffers in 1999 when he assumed office and also check the amount he left behind when he left. Good leadership requires forward thinking, vision and proper planning. It is not about indiscriminately awarding contracts or what you achieve now, but rather, it is about what you achieve much later. I do not blame you however because most Nigerian Africans only see the present and are incapable of looking into the future or seeing the bigger picture. To most Africans, a good president is the one that builds/renovates roads for immediate consumption.

After many years of military rule, OBJ successfully lifted Nigeria out of a deep economic and political pit and placed Nigeria on the world economic map. OBJ cleared Nigeria's external debts and boosted our foreign reserves like never before. The reason behind that was to strengthen Nigeria's credit worthiness and restore Nigeria's political relevance in the international scheme of things. OBJ's 'wasted' 8 years was wasted in building a mega-momentum for the nation to launch us into massive infrastructural development. Unfortunately fr OBJ and for Nigeria, OBJ never knew his successors were going to be visionless, irresponsible wasters.

The train tracks you talk about, it was under OBJ's regime that the masterplan of the modernised Nigerian railway system was prepared. OBJ successfully constructed the Ajaokuta - Warri standard gauge line (which is of great economic importance to the steel cities) and he was about commencing the Abuja to Kaduna standard gauge rail when he handed over to Yaradua. However GEJ came in and renovated the 1903 narrow gauge tracks from Lagos to Kano instead of following the masterplan which was meant to replace the old tracks with modern standard gauges. Now we can only have snail speed trains and people are celebrating GEJ and insulting OBJ. A little investigation would even reveal that the money squandered in resuscitating the 1903 lines would have at least built half of the modern lines thereby giving us standard world class high speed trains.

Please source of this story. Any link?

signz:


Please source of this story. Any link?

That is not a news report, it is simple public knowledge to those who care to know. Do you need a source to know that Buhari is the president of NIgeria?

Genius100:
What most do not know is that GEJ's railway was a bastardization of the project began by OBJ. OBJ completed the design, awarded the contract and started the project only for GEJ to bastardize the project with an obsolete design while stealing loads of money

see dis goat, so you ND OBJ took eight years to design without work abi, you also used eight years to draw a blueprint on power ND spent 16 billion in the process, shameless slowpoke

ahaz:
see dis goat, so you ND OBJ took eight years to design without work abi, you also used eight years to draw a blueprint on power ND spent 16 billion in the process, shameless slowpoke

B4 you insult someone, are you aware that GEJ spent about the same amoount on power in his 5 years?... How many megawatts did his administration add to Nigeria?.... How many power plants did he start and finish?

obailala:
That is not a news report, it is simple public knowledge to those who care to know. Do you need a source to know that Buhari is the president of NIgeria?

I can show you a link to Buhari being sworn in as President of Nigeria if you want.

What you mentioned are major projects and should have been mentioned by the media.

obailala:

The train tracks you talk about, it was under OBJ's regime that the masterplan of the modernised Nigerian railway system was prepared. OBJ successfully constructed the Ajaokuta - Warri standard gauge line (which is of great economic importance to the steel cities) and he was about commencing the Abuja to Kaduna standard gauge rail when he handed over to Yaradua. However GEJ came in and renovated the 1903 narrow gauge tracks from Lagos to Kano instead of following the masterplan which was meant to replace the old tracks with modern standard gauges. Now we can only have snail speed trains and people are celebrating GEJ and insulting OBJ. A little investigation would even reveal that the money squandered in resuscitating the 1903 lines would have at least built half of the modern lines thereby giving us standard world class high speed trains.

And how many tonnes of steel have been moved by the standard gauge rail tracks constructed from Ajaokuta to Warri? How many passengers have ridden on those tracks? Don't forget that Ajaokuta Steel is still comatose till today.

I said earlier that OBJ should be smacked on the bum for his tardiness. After reading this, I believe he should be flogged for spending 8 years to create a design!!!

As for GEJ, he needs to be publicly exposed and brought to book, if what you have written here is true!

signz:


I can show you a link to Buhari being sworn in as President of Nigeria if you want.

What you mentioned are major projects and should have been mentioned by the media.

I made several statements, which exact point do you need a link for?

Statesmen whine the most when the hour of their end is upon them. Obj knows its all over for him and the democrat/ labour party lackeys. He knows the good fortune that awaits Goodluck in a couple of years

oloyesaso:
http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/fg-commences-passenger-service-on-warri-ajaokuta-railway-soon/75871/

May God bless you for posting a link to a report published in 2010.

That report states that the train will reduce the travel time from Ajaokuta to Warri to 4-hours by rail.

With all the amount budget for that project, has the project now been completed? Is it moving goods, resources and people from Ajaokuta to Warri?

We are waiting for the answers, oh!

obailala:
For those of you wondering what OBJ did in 8 years, you are not to be blamed. Most Nigerian Africans only see the present and are incapable of looking into the future or seeing the bigger picture. To most Africans, a good president is the one that builds/renovates roads for immediate consumption...

Thanks for this post. People also forget that in 2005, OBJ signed an MOU with the Chinese government on resuscitating the railway lines worth about $8bn. When Yar'adua came in, he cancelled the contract and it was the same contract that was reactivated by GEJ. Obasanjo has his flaws but you can't take away his patriotism and love of the country from him. He launched Nigeria into the global communities bearing in mind that Nigeria was at its lowest ebb in terms of international diplomacy when he assumed office.

Hate him or like him, Baba will always be a reference point for some years to come.

laudate:


And how many tonnes of steel have been moved by the standard gauge rail tracks constructed from Ajaokuta to Warri? How many passengers have ridden on those tracks? Don't forget that Ajaokuta Steel is still comatose till today.

I said earlier that OBJ should be smacked on the bum for his tardiness. After reading this, I believe he should be flogged for spending 8 years to create a design!!!

As for GEJ, he needs to be publicly exposed and brought to book, if what you have written here is true!

I was only pointing out the bit which OBJ did in his tenure which people have refused to see (because it seems invisible). OBJ gathered the funds required for development and also made Nigeria credit worthy and politically respected worldwide. He picked Nigeria from the gutter in 1999 and gave us a reputation and a huge bank account; this fact I am sure you cannot dispute. It was left to his successors to build on what he had gathered (funds and reputation), but they all squandered it and returned us to nothing.

Even King David of the Bible in his tenure gathered the materials needed to build the temple; Solomon eventually did the building. You cannot underestimate the importance of the 'gathering' phase. However, it is only a typical African man who only cares about the food he eats today that does not think the 'gathering' phase is of any importance. We only think progress is when a new road is built or dualised or when a public building is repainted. Bro, real progress goes way beyond that.

This is the reason why most of our leaders dont plan big projects, they only engage in microscopic shabby projects which they can complete within their tenures so all the praise and glory goes to them, but this is the exact thing which differentiates Africa from the developed world.