Amaechi condoles late Abubakar family

Minister of Transportation Rt. Honourable Chibuike Amaechi, has said that Nigeria railway industry will forever miss the expertise of Engineer Usman Abubakar.

Amaechi stated that Abubakar zeal to deliver the federal government mandate of ensuring that the project is executed was pronounced on the monthly inspection exercise, making him the most committed, as he was always present for inspections.

The minister of transportation let this out while paying a condolence visit to the family of Late Engr. Usman Abubakar, the Board Chairman of Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), whose death was announced October 11.

Amaechi visited the family at their residence in Unguwan Dosa in Kaduna State.

The minister, during the visit also stated that the Lagos-Ibadan rail project was a pet project of the deceased, adding that it was his wish for the project to be completed.

He said that the deceased was the chairman of the technical committee adding that he always ensured that every complaint on the project was resolved.

Amaechi said that late Abubakar was committed to the project and was always present at all the monthly inspection carried out by the ministry of transportation.

“We were working too closely that I gave him part of my responsibility at the railway project; part of the responsibility was the chairman of the technical committee and he solved a lot of our technical problems.

“We are already feeling his absent a lot because at the end of the day when we ran into such problems again, I will say if chairman was here now, it would have being resolved.

“We find it very difficult but one thing we owe him is to ensure that we complete the Lagos-Ibadan railway, which was his pet project, he dreamt of that project, stayed in Lagos and came for all inspections.

“He said to me, that whatever it will take to make us deliver this project to make Nigerians happy, he was willing to participate. His death came as a shock because I never knew he was sick.’’

Amaechi said that God determines when everyone will die stating that his achievement won’t be ignored.

Speaking, the deceased Son, Mohammed Abubakar described his late father as being simple, a man of integrity and a strong loyalist to the President Muhammadu Buhari.

“My father was a simple man of great integrity and a staunch loyalist of President Muhammadu Buhari. He always valued education more than anything.

“He would always tell his children that, he would not bequeath us with money when he died and that the only thing he could do was to make sure we had quality education.

“He lived a very simple life so much that people barely knew him as the Chairman of NRC. He never wanted the attention, glitz and glamour that came with the office,” he said.

He however, appreciated the minister for the visit and the entire delegation from the federal ministry of transportation.