THE governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-rufai and Senator representing Bayelsa East Senatorial district, Ben Murray-Bruce are currently engaged in a war of who implemented the recently commissioned Abuja-Kaduna railway.

Trouble started when the lawmaker urged President Muhammadu Buhari to commend former President, Goodluck Jonathan for “the train ride he enjoyed in Kaduna.”

The senator stated that the project was entirely the handiwork of the Jonathan’s administration.

Reacting, the governor portrayed the senator as a liar.

El-Rufai noted that former President Olusegun Obasanjo designed and raised the financing and started the “EPC of the Lagos-Kano dual track-standard gauge rail system, and the Abuja Light Rail.”

With this reply, HEADLINE reports that the governor has deviated from the bone of the contention.

While the senator was talking about Abuja-Kaduna railway, the governor was talking about the Lagos-Kano dual track-standard gauge rail system.

In clapping back, Murray-Bruce said El-rufai hatred for late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua may have affected the judgement of the governor.

“Your dislike of the late Yar’adua may have clouded your judgment. I made no mention of the ‘Abuja light railway’. My tweet referred to the Abuja-Kaduna railway which is a product of the Jonathan administration. I am happy to publicly debate this with you.”

ARE THE DUO CORRECT ABOUT THEIR CLAIM?

Investigation by HEADLINE reveals that the Obasanjo administration in 2006 in conjunction with a China Construction Company, CCECC, signed a memorandum for construction of a new standard gauge rail network consisting of Lagos-Kano, Port Harcourt–Maiduguri and the Lagos-Calabar lines to replace the existing narrow guage lines, at a cost of $8.3 billion, over a 25- year period.

HEADLINE also gathered that the counterpart funding was faulty on the part of Nigeria, while it contravened the law therefore the project did not see the light of the day.

When Yar’adua came into power and discovered that the contract did not follow due process and that the project was inflated he visited china and re-negotiated and re-scoped the entire project. It was at this point that project was segmented and the Abuja-Kaduna component was added.

Rehabilitation work started while a Chinese delegation came to Nigeria to commence on-site assessment and preparatory work on first phase of the now segmented standard gauge Abuja-Kaduna line in July 2008 and to finalise it in 2009. When Yar’adua died, Jonathan re-scoped the Lagos-Calabar line by adding Otuoke (his home town) to it.

Contract for the Abuja-Kaduna standard rail project was awarded in 2010 but the actual construction did not start till 2011. It is an $874 million project with the Exim Bank of China’s facility of $500 million, while Nigeria was to pay the rest. The Project was scheduled for completion in 2014.

But Jonathan’s administration though inherited it, partly funded it but not to completion.

When Buhari came in 2015, there were outstanding payments which stalled the project. Buhari paid off and worked commenced and is now completed due largely to the seriousness Buhari attached to it.

Source: http://headline.com.ng/senator-governor-bicker-implemented-kaduna-abuja-railway/

lalasticlala

nonesense debate

lalasticlala I think this report will end the war, shift it to them

Its so uncalled for.

This bickering is childish n unnessary.

whether gej or pmb the fact is that it is a Nigerian project n everyone contributed their part to it.

GEJ is a failure in any aspect of good governance how can he initiate and implement this kind of project?

Despite the fact that I hate this Buhari administration with passion, it is fair to say he took over when this project was about to stall (Common Nigerian Factor), funded it, completed it and commissioned it.

15% Obasanjo - Good Initiative
30% Yaradua - Renegotiated and set ball rolling
20% Gej - Continued where his boss stopped
35% Buhari - Funded it, monitored it till it was commissioned.

We can't measure an lay iron on a block and we have engineers by paper.

Keni kan sha ti pari ishey ni

Buhari & APC will always claim credit for other peoples projects, but abdicate responsibility for their own failures.


We know them too well.

Omeokachie:
Buhari & APC will always claim credit for other peoples projects, but abdicate responsibility for their own failures.


We know them too well.

Igbos always loss sense of reasoning...did you read before commenting so? Project that started before Yaradua died then took up by your hero who can't finish it but Buhari came and fund it to completion...may God heal you people this year

Let one of them sponsor the work it's then that i can believe any of them

ziryboy:
Igbos always loss sense of reasoning...did you read before commenting so? Project that started before Yaradua died then took up by your hero who can't finish it but Buhari came and fund it to completion...may God heal you people this year

Small boy, did you read the counter from BMB?

“Your dislike of the late Yar’adua may have clouded your judgment. I made no mention of the ‘Abuja light railway’. My tweet referred to the Abuja-Kaduna railway which is a product of the Jonathan administration. I am happy to publicly debate this with you.”


Pray politicians dont play poker with your life and future while you are here playing with sand.

Omeokachie:




Small boy, did you read the counter from BMB?

“Your dislike of the late Yar’adua may have clouded your judgment. I made no mention of the ‘Abuja light railway’. My tweet referred to the Abuja-Kaduna railway which is a product of the Jonathan administration. I am happy to publicly debate this with you.”


Pray politicians dont play poker with your life and future while you are here playing with sand.

....and did you read the sound analysis of the journalist that did the news?

The report concluded by setting the facts right, after first reporting both claims.

Go back and read it to completion. Don't be a lazy reader.