The Federal Government yesterday signed contracts for the rehabilitation of 2,119-kilometre three Eastern rail lines at a cost of  N67,337,252,898.30. The contract was signed with two foreign firms and a local company.

The three construction firms are China Gezhouba Group Corporation (CGGC), Esser Contracting and Industry Ltd and Lingo Nigeria Ltd.

Speaking at the contract signing ceremony, Minister of Transport, Mr. Yusuf Suleiman, gave the construction companies 10 months to complete the project.

The three Eastern lines, according to Suleiman, comprise 463 kilometres rail lines from Port Harcourt to Makurdi; 1,016 kilometres rail lines from Makurdi to Kuru with the inclusion of spur line to Jos and Kafanchan; and 640 kilometres rail lines from Kuru to Maiduguri respectively.

He said the scope of the contracts covers a comprehensive rehabilitation of the track, bridges, and culverts within the 2,119 kilometres track lines.

With the award of the contracts, the minister expressed optimism that the rail transport industry of the country was taking the last lap of the comprehensive rehabilitation campaign embarked upon by the Jonathan administration a year ago.

Suleiman said the present administration began the rehabilitation of the entire fixed and movable assets of the rail transport industry with the 1,315 kilometres Lagos to Kano track.

He added that government had procured  25 new general electric locomotive engines and workshop equipment, installed three generators of 1,000KVA, 750 KVA and 5,000 KVA; refurbished 500 wagons and coaching facilities; and training and retraining of staff in their diverse fields of specialisation to bring the country’s railway system to an international standard.

He charged the contractors to commit the whole of their available resources and expertise to the project with a view to completing it in record time and more importantly, etching their names in the sand of time as contractors worthy of their integrity and mettle.

He said:  “In this same spirit of achieving common goal, the engineers and the quantity surveyors of Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) would be involved in the supervision of the work of the contractors.”

He said President Goodluck Jonathan was committed to revamping the nation’s rail transport industry because of the importance of viable and effective rail transport system to the growth and continued sustenance of a healthy economy.

In his remark, Chairman of Esser Contracting and Industry Ltd, Mr. IIhan Adiloglu, said the undertaking of the 463-kilometre rail assignment by the Turkish firm was a new paradigm in boosting the relationship between both countries.

He said: “This railway construction is of priority importance for Nigeria, and we are especially aware that the completion of the project would have direct effect on the improvement of the living standards of Nigerians. We assure that the project would be completed on time.”

Source: http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/fg-firms-sign-eastern-rail-contract/89250/

Another cheap carrot for our igbo brothers, re u nt jumping at it.?

^^^cheap carrot ko costly kurikuri ni!
My friend im jumping at it. E no easy.

Meanwhile, if u know ur primary geography, u will understand that the project covered north more than south east region.
Im sure u fell for the eastern rail line in the story.