Govt’ll continue to borrow to fund infrastructure – Amaechi

The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has said the federal government will continue to borrow to fund infrastructure in the country.
Amaechi who stated this at the weekend during the ItakpeAjaokuta-Warri rail line in Agbor, insisted that the government does not owe anybody any apology as it is determined to bridge the country’s infrastructure gap.
He assured that the ItakpeAjaokuta-Warri rail project which is about 80 per cent complete and will be ready soon be ready for commissioning..
In his words, “We are compelling them (the contractors) and because we are pushing them, they are working day and night to have it done.
“If it is time frame, they are well ahead of schedule.
It is meant to be completed in 2019 and what we are doing here is what we are doing in Lagos-Ibadan and that project is actually a three-year contract.
“But we are forcing them to complete it in one-year period.
Just like this is supposed to end by 2019 but we are saying no, you must leave site before October.
Also, Speaking, the Managing Director, Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), Fidet Okhiria, disclosed that by September the train operation would commence to maintain the tracks.
According to him, if the government waits for all the 12 train stations to be completed, the tracks will go bad.
“Technically, with the level of work now, we can run the train from Itakpe-Warri safely, the next stage is to make the convenience for passengers available which is the stations building.
The Project Manager of ItakpeWarri Railway Project, Chiedu Nwazojie, said that the project has a total of 12 stations but they are presently working on eight at the moment.
He said that the whole project was 302 kilometres (km), with rehabilitation ongoing in 52km, which involves changing the wooden sleepers to concrete sleepers ones.
He said that they are working on Agenebode station, Itakpe, Eganyi, Ajaokuta, Itogbo, Uromi, IguebenEkhen, Igbanke and Agbor, which is the central station at the moment.
He, however, complained that the progress of work is being affected by the rainy season, stating that the initial Aug ust dateline might not be feasible.