By Godfrey Bivbere
Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar, has raised alarm over the frequent theft of rail components on the Port Harcourt – Enugu rail line.
The minister, who frowned at the situation, charged the Managing Director of Nigerian Railway Corporation, NRC, Mr. Adeseyi Sijuwade, to deploy the railway police to theft-prone areas in order not to jeopardise the completion of the project.
Umar, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, after he was briefed on the level of work done so far on Lot 1 of the rehabilitation of the Eastern line rail service from Port Harcourt to Makurdi, said that regardless of the challenges, the 2013 completion date for the project remain realizable.
Speaking earlier, Sijuwade lamented the inability of the contractor handling the project, ESER Contracting and Industry Company Incorporated, to access the main quarry for the project located at Ishiagu in Ebonyi State.
He said that the denial of access was seriously affecting the progress of work on the project and implored the minister to assist in resolving same.
Comments are moderated. Please keep them clean and brief.