Rotimi Amaechi, minister of Transportation, on Thursday said Nigerians should be grateful to President Muhammadu Buhari over the “massive” railway projects across the country.
Amaechi said this in Abeokuta, Ogun State, during the launch of the State Mass Bus Transit System.
He said Buhari, in spite of criticism on the huge borrowing, has been constructing railway since his administration came on board in 2015.
According to him, Buhari’s tenacity deserves commendation for him to do more.
The minister also hinted that the construction of Lagos-Calabar rail line that would pass through Lekki Deep Seaport down to Epe township, would be completed and commissioned by September.
He stressed that the government had continued to implement the rail line master plan project initiated by former President Olusegun Obasanjo administration.
Amaechi said, “What you (Nigerians) owe us is not only gratitude, I know you won’t, some of you, but most of you will. If you are APC (members), what you owe us is the gratitude of the tenacity of the president who despite the criticism of borrowing money is continuing to construct the railway, that is what you owe us. Because the moment you say to a man you are doing well, he will do more and so since the President is doing.
“In fact he approved that we should redirect the initial design of the railway from Lagos through Apapa to Epe to Lekki deep sea port so that we don’t have a logjam as we have now in Apapa at the Lekki deep sea port which will conclude construction by September and then commission it in September.
“Let me also thank President Obasanjo because this was his master plan and then we implemented his master plan.
“And I hope that when we leave, whoever, I know APC will win again, whoever is the President should continue from where we stopped.”
The former Rivers State Governor applauded Governor Dapo Abiodun for operating a “purposeful government,” saying all the legacy projects carried out by the governor would continue to speak for him after leaving office.
Earlier, Abiodun launched the State Mass Bus Transit System.
At the launch of the buses fitted with Wifi and other gadgets, the governor observed the project was in line with the transport master plan aimed at providing efficient and affordable means of moving people from one location to another.
Abiodun also disclosed that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) would soon be signed between the state and a private firm for the construction of the Olokola Seaport.
He said, “It is important to know that the whole essence of the transportation master plan is for us to efficiently move people either intra-state or inter-state. We are the industrial capital of this country and neighbour to the biggest economy which is Lagos State. We see the cross border migration everyday and the trouble our people go through.
“Our transportation master plan has proffered suggestions and solutions for us to deal with this. Today, we are launching these mass transit buses. The pilot phase will start from Abeokuta and we will expand it to other cities”, the governor noted.