FG To Create 250,000 Jobs In The Rail Sector

The minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has disclosed the Federal Government’s commitment to end unemployment in the country by providing about 250,000 jobs in the rail sector.

The minister noted that the Abuja-Kaduna rail line project alone was expected to generate about 1000 jobs to secure the rail line. According to the milestones already attained by the contractor handling the project, the rail line is expected to be operational and commence commercial operation in July this year.

He also echoed the Federal Government’s commitment and determination to complete all ongoing projects and commence construction work on the new ones in the rail sector.

Amaechi, who disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja also revealed that N13 billion had been earmarked in the 2016 budget to complete the Abuja-Kaduna rail line project and to settle all other expenditure that may be incurred in the course of concluding work on the rail line project.

The Minister explained that the changes in the inauguration date of the rail line project, which was initially slated for this month was due to the delay in the compensation payment to the Daughter of Charity Hospital along the rail line near Kubwa, FCT, Abuja.

“I thought that by March, we would have concluded discussions with the officials of the Daughter of Charity Hospital but unfortunately that did not happen, and now that we have paid them their compensation, we will expedite work on the rail line and conclude for it to be operational”, he explained.

Amaechi revealed that N222 billion was budgeted for the transportation sector in the 2016 budget out of which Lagos-Kaduna and Lagos-Calabar rail lines would gulp N60 billion each.

He explained that President Muhammadu Buhari’s priority was to see the earnest commencement of these two projects because of the volume of jobs it would generate for Nigerians.