[size=18pt]Dear President Goodluck Jonathan, I hope you know we are now in the 21st century and not 20th century.
The best way to boast and brag is to be a 21st century leader with 21st century ideas and projects and not jumping up and down like an overgrown kid on toy horse for just taking more than US$12 billion from government coffers to contract Chinese railway builders to construct railroads and then important some coaches from overseas.
Any dummy can do that.
Lest we forget, we need to verify how and why you have to spend more than US$12 billion on the project.
I hope there were no kickbacks?

Lest we forget, you are not the first to launch the overhauling of railway transport in Nigeria, because since 1979 the Nigerian Railway Corporation dumped the old locomotives for trains run on diesel engines with new passenger coaches.
Buying new Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs) train sets of 25 new locomotives from General Electric and refurbished 366 coaches, including 6 air-conditioned passengers’ coaches are okay and in fact, you don't need brains to do so. All you need to do is sign the dotted lines for US$13.1 billion contract to China Railway Construction Corp. Ltd. (CRCC) and making it China’s largest single overseas contract project so far!

Lest you forget, this is not the first time Nigeria has contracted a Chinese company to modernize railway transport.
Nigeria signed a similar contract with China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) for the NRC Rehabilitation Project 1995–99. It was a US$6-million contract.

Local and International Development Initiatives

There had been some local and international development initiatives to revitalize the railway system. These included:
• A contractual agreement between Nigeria and Rail India Technical and Economic Services, 1978–82
• The 1989–92 ‘Ogbemudia Revolution’ that turned around local rail transport
• The rehabilitation project with China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, 1995–99

Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES) 1978–82
The contract mission was to:
• Rehabilitate the rail network using advice from Rail India engineers
• Recover and maintain obsolete and disabled rolling stock
• Give foreign experts authority over highest decision-making body of NRC
All these mission objectives were achieved and NRC was given a new lease of life. Staff were well paid and motivated, services became more regular, suitable and safer. However, the abrupt termination of this joint venture made the results short-lived.

Ogbemudia Revolution 1989–92
No sooner had the Indian experts left than railway traffic plummeted. Gross operation inefficiency set in, the railway infrastructure decayed rapidly and the finances were deplorable.
To bring normality back to the railway system, Dr Samuel Ogbemudia was appointed Sole Administrator of the NRC by the federal government. Although his tenure was short, it was eventful and remarkable. Ogbemudia was a visionary and highly influential in Nigerian society; he single-handedly turned around NRC between 1989–92 as follows:
• Divided NRC into nine departments each headed by director
• Checked union militancy by briefing staff regularly on all management decisions
• Motivated staff by paying salaries and all other entitlements promptly
• Reactivated workshops as bee-hives of activity
• Upgraded research unit to directorate level able to develop local DMUs, EMUs, carriages, wagons, concrete sleepers, rails, etc.
• Introduced mass transit trains
• Persuaded Nigerian president to show support for trains by taking presidential train ride (a very rare event)
• Organized Conference on Wheels, unique seminar on morning train between Lagos and Ilorin to publicize railway activities
• Increased NRC financial resources
For example, the total revenue generated in 1989 was N73.0 million compared to N52.81million in 1988. There was even an increase in government funding in 1989 with NRC receiving N224.504 million, compared to N131.645 million in 1988.
However, the Ogbemudia Revolution was aborted prematurely by politics. As soon as Ogbemudia left the corporation, his future action programmes, including revitalization, modernization and development of railway facilities and infrastructure, improved services, self-supporting railway with new marketing strategy, etc., were thrown overboard by successive administrations.

CCECC and NRC Rehabilitation Project 1995–99
The agreement signed by the government of Nigeria with the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) removed the 9-year vacuum created by the exit of Ogbemudia. The $6-million contract was like a ray of light in a dark tunnel.
The Chinese experts were expected to rehabilitate the existing rail network, supply 50 locomotives, 150 coaches, 400 wagons and 20 rail buses, and provide technical training for the NRC staff. Communication equipment (microwave) is to be supplied by an Israeli company.
In an appraisal of this project, General Gumel, the Minister of Transport at the time, said that before the commencement of the programme, NRC had only 19 locomotives available on a daily basis, but it had increased to 41. He also said that this increase has enabled NRC to resume Jos–Port Harcourt, Abeokuta–Kano, Lagos–Idogo services, as well as Lagos mass transit and other suburban commuter services that had been abandoned for the past 15 years.
However, the impact of this project on train speeds is yet to be noticed.

~ Japan Railway & Transport Review No.23 (pp.42–49)
Public–Private Participation to Rescue Railway Development in Nigeria
Joshua Adetunji Odeleye

http://www.jrtr.net/jrtr23/F42_Odeleye.html[/quote]

This information is necessary and important for history, to stop the further misinformation of the ignorant masses by President Goodluck Jonathan and his political campaign spin doctors who like to distort the facts of Nigerian development and lie that he is the first Nigerian head of state doing so. [/size]

Bros wetin u mean?those railways work before?gej do bad to doam?railway dey otuoke?Him go carryam go after may 2019?.dem swear for u say make u no dey talk better?All d contract wey wise men signed,dem doam?.my guy abeg wise-up.meanwhile,GEJ 2010-2019 appeal confirmed it yesterday.

The wailings of APC continues.

just appreciate it and leave every damnable campaigns going on in Nigeria for God,its going to be better soon.

Orikinla:
[size=18pt]Dear President Goodluck Jonathan, I hope you know we are now in the 21st century and not 20th century.
The best way to boast and brag is to be a 21st century leader with 21st century ideas and projects and not jumping up and down like an overgrown kid on toy horse for just taking more than US$12 billion from government coffers to contract Chinese railway builders to construct railroads and then important some coaches from overseas.
Any dummy can do that.
[/size]

Thanks for bringing this issue into sharp focus.

If you recall, Sanusi did sound warning bells about this costly and dated approach to nation building...

Africa must get real about Chinese ties

It is time for Africans to wake up to the realities of their romance with China.

...Nigeria, a country with a large domestic market of more than 160m people, spends huge resources importing consumer goods from China that should be produced locally. We buy textiles, fabric, leather goods, tomato paste, starch, furniture, electronics, building materials and plastic goods. I could go on.

The Chinese, on the other hand, buy Nigeria’s crude oil. In much of Africa, they have set up huge mining operations. They have also built infrastructure. But, with exceptions, they have done so using equipment and labour imported from home, without transferring skills to local communities.

So China takes our primary goods and sells us manufactured ones. This was also the essence of colonialism. The British went to Africa and India to secure raw materials and markets. Africa is now willingly opening itself up to a new form of imperialism.
....

Source: FT

Check Internet's Report. OBJ laid the Foundation for our Railway development and GEJ extended the Frontier,, expanded it and make it more improved and futuristic.

utytill:
Bros wetin u mean?those railways work before?gej do bad to doam?railway dey otuoke?Him go carryam go after may 2019?.dem swear for u say make u no dey talk better?All d contract wey wise men signed,dem doam?.my guy abeg wise-up.meanwhile,GEJ 2010-2019 appeal confirmed it yesterday.

CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME.
When I fit take train go Otuoke from Sangama, I go salute GEJ.

[size=18pt]GEJ cannot even provide ordinary bus for NYSC members.[/size]