₦airaland Forum

The Minister of Transport, Sen. Idris Umar, on Friday said that the procurement of pressurised tank wagons for hauling petroleum products by rail would ease road traffic.

Umar gave the assurance in Lagos at the inauguration of 20 new pressurised tank wagons acquired by the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).

He said that the 40 new tank wagons acquired so far by the NRC would minimise road accidents induced by articulated vehicles carrying petroleum products.

“In February, I commissioned 20 pressurised oil tank wagons. Today, the NRC has 40 wagons in her fleet.

“The procurement of these pressurised oil tank wagons will help to ease traffic, reduce accidents and wear and tear of roads,’’ he said.

The minister said that four new locomotives and two telescopic cranes, which the Federal Government took delivery of in August, had been deployed.

He said that the government had also ordered two sets of Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) coaches that could carry 549 passengers.

According him, the coaches will be delivered before the end of this year.

In his address of welcome, the Managing Director of the NRC, Mr Adeseyi Sijuwade, said that the tank wagons were manufactured by China Railway Shanhaiguan Bridge Group Companies Ltd.

Sijuwade said that the wagons, worth N650 million, attracted a 10-month-service contract, spare parts and one year supply of consumables.

The NRC boss said that the wagons procured earlier were already transporting diesel from Lagos to Ibadan, Offa, Minna, Kaduna and Kano.

The Federal Government has said the ongoing reforms in the transport and other sectors of the economy are yielding positive results, especially in the rail sector where over one million litres of fuel are being transported on a daily basis just as 200 communities have been connected by rail.

This was disclosed yesterday in Abuja by the Director General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms, Dr. Joe Abah, during the inauguration of the 24-man steering committee on Public Service Reforms by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Anyim Pius Anyim.

According to Abah, "the reforms in critical sectors like power, agriculture, ports, transports, pensions, electoral system, judiciary, rule of law among others, were already yielding visible results.
"The trains are back for the first time in 30 years, 30,000 passengers have been moved in two months, over 200 communities are now connected by rail, while one million litres of fuel are now being moved daily by rail."

He added that the reforms had resulted in airports being refurbished for the first time in decades, NAFDAC laboratories accredited to the highest international standards, stability of electricity in the country approaching realisation, fertiliser fraud drastically reduced and improvement of more than 1,664 kilometres of key roads.

The Secretary of the newly constituted Committee also listed the mandate of the committee to include providing technical leadership for reform at the level of planning, design and implementation; and initiate action on reform at the different fronts, monitor and evaluate implementation of the reforms for impact and effectiveness.
He said they were also expected to generate feedback information to guide periodic review; interact/dialogue with donor agencies/stakeholders and inform the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on reform implementation efforts on a regular basis, and brief the National Council on Reform quarterly."
Anyim while inaugurating the committee, said the absence of the Steering Committee on Reforms had limited government's capacity to provide coordinated technical leadership and effective monitoring and evaluation of all public service reforms efforts.

According to him, this was why President Goodluck Jonathan deemed it fit to reconstitute the committee to give the reform of public services "the impetus that it needs".

He said: "[b]President Jonathan has underscored the importance of public service to his administration's transformation agenda, especially as it is often through the public service that a government can directly touch the lives of its citizens. The proper role of the state must be to improve the lives of citizens by delivering, or ensuring the delivery of efficient and affordable services to all.

"The electoral system is now more credible, trains are running again for the first time in decades, the power sector has finally been unbundled after various previous attempts, the banking industry has become more professional and we are witnessing massive infrastructural development across the country.

" In terms of its direct impact on the lives of citizens, these reforms are perhaps unprecedented in the history of Nigeria. They go to the root of the problems that have slowed our development. There is now a need to ensure that these efforts are properly coordinated and communicated so that citizens can continue to derive the maximum benefits of the transformation agenda," he added.[/b]

The SGF insisted that lessons must be learnt from what has worked well, as well as what has not worked and ensure that reforms are wider and deeper.

"The work of this committee is strategic, important and serious. It will require the dedicated efforts of all concerned and I expect that wherever possible, all members will attend all meetings in persons," he said.
The Committee is made up of the SGF as Chairman, while members include Head of the civil service of the Federation, Economic Adviser to the President, Chairman, the Federal Civil Service Commission, Chairman, Federal Civil Service Commission, and Chairman, National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission.

Others are Chairman, Police Service Commission, Chairman, Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration and Prisons Board, Permanent Secretary, General Service (OSGF); Permanent Secretary, Finance; Permanent Secretary, State House, Permanent Secretary, FCSC and Permanent Secretary, Career Management Office (OHCSF).

Also in the Committee are Permanent Secretary Interior; Permanent Secretary Justice; Permanent Secretary Information; Clerk, National Assembly, Chief Registrar, Supreme Court and Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Others are Accountant-General of the Federation, Auditor-General of the Federation, Director-General, National Pension Commission, Director-General, Bureau of Public Enterprises, Chairman, Public Service Negotiation Council and Director-General, Bureau of Public Service Reforms as Secretary.

iterator25: 'Afit farawa' will be unveiled in 2014 although it's going to be a trainer aircraft

SLIDE waxie: For all those who are seeing my comment as an official anticts of the APC, well, yes, it is true. That is what we did!

Infact, the name APC has been existing since 2011 when Amosun contested.

Pls, this is my confession like that guy who confessed abt him being paid 20k from Osun

Well, i hope this reaches the front page.
Guilt is killin me. i'm not trying to use a defence tactic, it is true.

Pls, let that my comment reach past front page make e rish national papers.
i won't mind an interview with NTA or CNN.

Infact, i am lai mohammed the spokesman for APC..

U can all have ur orgasmm now..ok?

nagoma: That is one of the most curious things about GEJ, don't you think that PhD (he got when he was a deputy governor) was just purchased?

oyb: dude, no be govt of announcements?

bookmark this page - come back 6 months later and see if there is any change

all our fg does s make announcements for their online noisemakers to troll

by next tear, most of them would have adopted new ids to hide their shame and troll us with new FG to -

kovak: If you meet a govt convoy on the way, just say your last prayer!

Too bad for this country.

theoctopus: The problem with people like you is that you dont even know how ignorant you are. Havent you heard of the 5 new speed rail projects that the FG is about to commence, having concluded their feasibility studies about 3 months ago? Please try and always ask questions before you post. How can the FG just abandon the present rail system and start building a brand new rail system that will definitely take years to complete? If they do that, people like you will also come out to say they are doing nothing. You people politicize everything because you dont care about Nigeria's change. You only care about your party getting the presidency.

collynzo2: ARMED robbery carries a death sentence in our beloved country. Good for him.

babanne: Do you actually know what the law says as to the penalty of armed robbery?

wirinet: This Nigerian so called federation should be called a voodoo federation. So the federal government just call the states and tell them this is your share of this month's oil receipts without showing the revenue profile of the federation or where the money is coming from. Because obviously tge governors have no idea of how much money they are entitled to or whether the money is coming from the federation account, the excess crude account or even President Jona's personal account.
If the excess crude account is supposed to belong to all three tiers of government ( as savings for the rainy day), how come the federal government shared it without informing the states where the money is coming from? they most likely assumed the money being shared must have come from the regular monthly oil receipts.

Even the national assembly have no idea of what is going on with the national finances. Left to me we should not waste time and so much money pretending we are operating a democracy and just have the president as absolute monarchy, who can do and undo and is not accountable to anybody.

I thought Tompolo and co have been contracted with billions of naira to protect our pipe lines and water ways, how come oil theft is such a problem that is causing us such huge shortfalls in our revenue?

1025: i don't know between other nigerians outside and the ones on nairaland who are easy to manipulate.
nigeria is on over N8t debt over a short while and okonjo iweala sometime ago said nigeria is broke. nobody has enough money to pay ASUU. N32 was suddenly added to fuel price to create more money for stealing and as we are speaking, N500B is missing from the sure p money. jonathan has employed lying birds like maku, okukpe and a host of other shameless things to attack men and women. a group is threatening to expose 242 govt officials who are using bullet proof cars and all these are our public funds.
nobody is asking this okukpe liars association of aso rock the sources of these funds.
nobody is asking how politics has become the most lucrative business in nigeria.
it is a shame and what i see on nairaland makes me feel more shame.
in democracy, opposition is legal and they are called watch-dogs. they make the govt to always be careful with what they do. the opposition work day and night to expose the weaknesses of the govt and by so doing, the govt tries her best to deliver but what do we have hear? once anyone asks question, wow, he is a thief, a betrayal and ants and pigs will form groups to attack that one and by so doing obtain govt illegal and criminal contracts. it is a shame.
we are not ripe for this shameful display that we call democracy.

wiseguy: So because fg released the statement we automatically believe it to be true. Not just Amaechi, most govs have in recent times queried the state of our economy and accrued revenue.
We need to ask some questions:
1. Why is there a shortfall when oil revenue has not gone below the budgeted benchmark?
2. Are the states aware that the amount being disbursed is from the ECA?

TechWalker007: This is sweet song to the ear. God bless GEJ and the FRC management. It's long overdue.

iterator25: Fair... However, it won't exceed 2 - 3% after debasing

SLIDE waxie: i don't care wot u say, but only a fool will remain truthful in Nigeria under the context of an election!!

So, when i knw that all other parties will rig to death, i shld just expect truth to prevail and fold my arms?

What sane man leaves his property for robbers without doing all things to protect it?

So as a Christian, if u av a gun and an arm robber tries to break into ur home with ur family around, will u abide by 'thou shall not kill' rule and watch him molest, terrorize, maim and loot ur family or shoot him at the slightest opportunity?

Even though u knw u av killed, u will still face the court and claim its in defense. ain't it?

So, if PDP, who will rig was able to amass 30,000 extra votes for itself, will it count as APC's? Only a fool won't counterattack an opposition's tactic!

In 2003 in ogun state, we voted for AC, PDP won! Clear day robbery!
By 2007, we voted again for ACN against PDP, but now, the people won. Did u knw how?

Cos we went all out against the robbers, those who can participate in the robbery did so, but this time, they carried the loot to our side!

Stop being an hypocrite! We knw in edo, the PDP who has lost the seat will come back in full force and that required more stern counter-measures!
Who is a saint, you?