Buhari to launch Kano-Kaduna rail project in two weeks – Amaechi

The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, said on Friday President Muhammadu Buhari will launch the Kano -Kaduna rail project in the next two weeks.

The minister disclosed this during the weekly Presidential Media briefing organised by the State House Media Unit in Abuja.

He said all contracts for the projects had been awarded.

Amaechi said: “In the next two weeks, we should be launching and commencing immediately the construction of Kano-Kaduna rail project.

“The President will launch it and then we will commence construction immediately.

“The reason why we are commencing construction immediately is that all the necessary contracts have been awarded.

READ ALSO: Nigerian govt has repaid $150m from Chinese loan —Amaechi

“We have been waiting for the loan for too long from China and the money has not come.

“So, we decided to fund it from the budget. We already paid $218 million to the contractors and we are about to pay another $100 million to make it about $318 million.

“Kano-Kaduna rail project is about $1.2 billion. The moment you pay about $318 million, you must have paid one-third of the project.

“So, we believe that by the time we get the loan we must have funded up to $600 million.

“So, that should be able to take the project nearly halfway before the fund will come because if we continue to wait for the loan whether from China or Europe, we may likely not complete it before we go.”

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