Minister frowns over substandard materials used on Kano-Lagos rail line

MIKE OCHONMA

Minister of tansport, Saidu Alkali, has told the contractors handling the Kano-Lagos standard gauge railway that the materials they used on the rail lines will make vandalisation and vulnerable to theft by the criminals.

Alkali told the contractors while speaking at the Makarfi local government area of Kaduna state last Saturday to use anti-theft clips instead of the metal clips they are using to hold the rail track.

According to him, “We came to see by ourselves; you know, seeing is believing. We are able to appraise the performance of the contractors of the Kaduna-Kano rail project.

“You can see as we stand here, we started making some little observations in the clips they are using. We asked them to use anti-theft clips so that they cannot be easily removed.

Although this project has security challenges, we will collaborate with security to ensure we deliver the project to Nigerians in the shortest possible time. The minister said.

Mark Zoe, the project coordinator of China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC), had earlier said that, the project has reached 22.6 per cent completion.

Speaking on behalf of the contractors, Zoe lamented the security challenges in the area and asked for collaboration with the military, noting that even in the last two months, two of their staff were kidnapped along Tashar Yari in Makarfi LGA of Kaduna State.