Nigeria, Russia sign agreement on construction of 1, 400km Lagos to Calabar rail track. What happens to current pact between Nigeria and China?

The Presidency claimed on Wednesday that Russia has agreed to support the development of Nigeria’s rail infrastructure by constructing 1,400 kilometres track from Lagos to Calabar, Cross River State.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said in a statement in Abuja, that the development was one of the agreements reached during a bilateral meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the ongoing Russia-Africa Summit, in Sochi, Russia.

The development queries the status of the existing agreement between the Nigerian government and a Chinese firm, China Railway  Construction Corporation (CRCC) for construction of the same Lagos to Calabar rail line.

Emerging reports earlier in the week had expressed concerns that the Chinese company may have failed to mobilize required funds, thereby casting doubts on its capacity and capability to undertake the capital-intensive project.

Reports had also quoted an American firm, Ameri Metro Incorporation, during an official visit to the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, as proposing to undertake  and fund the same project from scratch to finish.

The meeting was silent on what the government position was, raising concerns that the Lagos-Calabar rail project may have hit a rough patch. The Lagos-Ibadan rail project being handled by a Chinese firm is, however, on track.

• READ ALSO:  Buhari departs for Russia

According to the presidential spokesman, the two leaders also held talks on the establishment of a nuclear power plant in Nigeria.

According to Putin, the next step in the implementation of the project will be the commencement of a power plant construction.

On security and military cooperation, President Buhari agreed to renew the Nigeria-Russia Military Technical Agreement that had lapsed within a short time.

He said: “I have directed the Minister of Defence to work with the Ministry of Justice to conclude this matter within the shortest possible time.

“This military cooperation agreement is expected to give impetus to direct procurement of military hardware on a government-to-government basis at a lower cost as well as training of military personnel and modernisation of armed forces and renewal of infrastructure and equipment, which President Putin promised to undertake.’’

 

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now