Buhari to revamp economy through renew transport sector- Amaechi

The Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has said
that President Muhammadu Buhari is eager to boost the economy of
Nigeria and deliver to the people the gains of his administration through the transport sector.

He noted that one of the core mandates of the Present Administration, the ‘Change Agenda’ is to fulfill the needs and aspirations of Nigerians and the Government will not
rest on its oars until it achieve its promise.

The minister, revealed this while n n interview with media men, in
accessing the 2016 performances and ushering in 2017, which he said
the present administration is poised to take Nigeria out of recession.

He enumerated the milestone achievements in the Transportation sector to
includes the completion of Abuja – Kaduna Railway modernization projects,
provision of safety measures at the nation’s Airports, rehabilitation of
the existing infrastructures within the Airports, Sea ports, and the
Railway as well as instilling financial discipline in the Ministry and its
Agencies among others.

*“What we are doing now is  securing people’s life at the nation’s Airports
and also ensuring the rehabilitation of existing infrastructures in the
Rail lines and Maritime sector and also to see that the quality of
rehabilitation meets international standard’’* he said.

The Honourable Minister explained further that in the past one year the
Ministry of Transportation has ensured the completion of the Abuja-Kaduna
Standard Rail line which is operational and Commissioned by President
Muhammadu Buhari in July 2016.

He noted that the focus of the Ministry now,
is the rehabilitation of the old Railway lines of Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri and
ensuring that the construction work on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Rail line
as well as Lagos-Kano Rail line commence in earnest to facilitate the
movement of goods and personnel unhindered. According to him, construction
work on the Lagos-Ibadan segment of the Coastal Rail line will commence in
January 2017.

Chibuike Amaechi while commenting on the activities of Nigerian Maritime
Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), which is one of the Agencies
under the Ministry, opined that the management of the Agency in the last
Administration abandoned their core mandate of a regulatory agency and
turned itself into a contract awarding Institution which is alien to its
mandate. According to the Minister, this system of awarding contracts by
the Management of NIMASA then gave birth to perennial corruption in the
Agency.

He stated that on assumption of office, the Management of the Ministry took
a bold step to sanitised the system in order to curb the corruption
tendencies in the Agency hence, the laudable progress presently being
recorded in that sector stating that the Ministry was able to enforce
sanity and ensure that the core mandate of the Nigerian Maritime
Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) is strictly adhered to for
efficient service delivery.

On the issue of National Fleet for the Maritime sector, the Minister
explained that the government has gone far in getting interested investors
taking into consideration the provision of the laws which stipulate 60% for
local investors and 40% for foreign investors.

And on the construction of Maritime University, the Minister stated that it
is not the mandate of NIMASA to build University stating that NIMASA budget
does not include the Construction of University in any part of Nigeria*.  **“It
is not the business of the Regulatory Agency to build University; it is the
responsibility of the Nigeria University Commission (NUC) to ensure that
Universities are built whenever the need arises” he stated.*

In the Aviation sector, Rotimi Amaechi stated that the Ministry is
committed to 100% safety hence the Ministry is serious about the ongoing
rehabilitation of infrastructure in our Airports especially, the Nnamdi
Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Muritalla Muhammed Airport, Lagos,
Port Harcourt International Airport and Amino Kano International Airport,
Kano.

Similarly, the Minister stated that the President has recently approved the
rehabilitation work on the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja
runway and that the issues of contract variation between the Ministry and
the Contractors handling the rehabilitation work on the Port Harcourt
International Airport which hitherto caused little delay has been settled
and Contractors would soon move to site.

While responding to the current challenges being experienced by Nigerians
on our Airports as regard to delay in flight due to scarcity of Aviation
fuel, the Minister said the Ministry is working assiduously with all the
Stakeholders in the Aviation Sector to finding a lasting solution to the
problem.

On the challenges of the Ministry of Transportation, the Minister hinted
that funding is a major challenge in the Implementation of the 2016
projects of the Ministry. He however expressed optimism that Budget
Implementation will be much better in 2017.