The Pace of The Work On The Lagos-Ibadan Rail Line is Slow – Amechi
Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, The current Minister of Transportation has expressed dissatisfaction with the slow pace of work being executed by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation(CCECC) on the Lagos end of the standard gauge Lagos-Ibadan rail line.
Mr. Ameachi lay accusations and complains that the Chinese contractors are failing to mobilise their workers to site on the excuse that some sub-contractors could not deliver the portion of work given to them.
Mr. Amaech poured out his dissatisfaction in a speech on Tuesday, during an inspection of the $1.5bn standard gauge rail project at the Ologun-Eru area of Oyo State.
He discloses that he lies if he says he’s impressed over the current construction handled by the CCECC. He says“If I say I am impressed with the CCECC on the Lagos axis of this project, then I am lying.
We are not present in the Lagos arena at all. “We have resolved all the crises in Lagos, and I must commend the Lagos State Water Corporation people for resolving the water pipelines issue which constituted a major hindrance to the project. After the resolution of this issue, the CCECC has refused to mobilise workers to the site in Lagos.”
On the excuses given by the CCECC for the delay,
Amaechi stated, “The CCECC gave reasons for the slow pace of work at the Lagos end. They claimed that the jobs given to some of the sub-contractors were not met. For instance, the person relocating the water pipes was expected to finish that by November 2nd; but now the person is asking for an additional two months to complete that.
“The excuse given by the sub-contractor is that there are other issues that have to be solved before the water pipes can be relocated. For me, this excuse, although tenable, is not excusable. There is a need for them to speed up because the speed between part of Ogun to Ibadan is encouraging, but the speed from Apapa to Ebute-Meta and to some other parts of Lagos is discouraging.
The solution to the water pipelines has been found, but relocation is what is delaying us now.”
On the December deadline given to the contractor, the minister explained, “Don’t forget this is a three years project that we are trying to complete within a year. As I speak, there are only three bridges remaining to be completed between Abeokuta and Ibadan. Between Ogun and Lagos, there are just a few bridges remaining to be completed.
We will keep putting pressure on them to make sure the project is completed quickly.”