London, Oct. 29, 2019 (AltAfrica)-Nigerian government has handed ultimatum to China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) to ensure completion of the minor stations and the Lagos-Ibadan rail project by November 25.

A visibly angry Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, who gave the ultimatum during the monthly inspection of the Lagos -Ibadan Rail project on Monday in Lagos said the attitude and slow pace of work by the company was a betrayal of trust of the government.

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Amaechi, while expressing displeasure at the lack of progress on the project tasked the company to complete construction of the rail tracks from Iju to Ebute Metta as the government would begin test run of the project by November

“They said before the dissolution of the cabinet that, they were going to complete the stations in three months. May, June and July but we are here today in October and the station are not completed.

“You have refused to bring your materials in and we are not owning you one Kobo, we have paid everything,  so what is the problem?.

” You (CCECC) gave three months to complete these buildings and now you are giving the excuse that your materials from China have not arrived.

The Minister therefore charged all parties concerned to ensure the completion of the project by the next inspection of November 25.

Amaechi noted that  the federal government would on Nov. 30 commence test running of the rail line from Ebutte Meta to Ibadan.

He said ” if the coaches we are expecting from China by then  have not arrived, we will use the two coaches here.

”We will start trial runs because we made promise to Nigerians and we must fulfill that promise, so the test running must start from Ebute Metta to Ibadan.”

Amaechi also urged the contractors to speed up work and ensure delivery of standard work to the country. Responding, Xia Liju, one of CCECC Engineers, said the company was sourcing materials for the construction of the stations locally

Amaechi’s ultimatum comes just few a week when authorities in Tanzania arrested four Chinese contractors over slow pace of work in a state-funded project in the coastal city of Dar es Salaam.

The three men and a woman were employed by two companies contracted to build a canal and a section of road after it was washed away following heavy rains.

The arrest was ordered by the governor of the Dar es Salaam region, Paul Makonda, and was meant to “serve as an example to others”, Abubakar Kunenge, executive secretary of the region, is quoted as saying by news agency AFP.

Mr Kunege said the four would “spend each night at the central police station and go every morning to supervise the works until [ Mr Makonda] decides the speed of work is sufficient”.

He added that the projects were of great public interest and those “who cannot respect contracts have no place in Dar es Salaam.”

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