Lagos-Calabar feud : Amaechi did no wrong says FG



As the controversy over the N60 billion Lagos-Calabar railway project continues, the Federal Government has insisted that the Transportation minister, Rotimi Amaechi did no wrong because the project was duly submitted and accepted by the lawmakers for approval.

According to the National Planning ministry, the amended Ministry of Transportation budget was accepted by the relevant committees and that was the version defended by the Minister of Transportation and his team. In a statement by the spokesman for the National Planning minister, Akpandem James“It must be emphasized that the two rail projects are part of those for which the President is currently negotiating funding with the Chinese government.”

“The N60bn provided in the budget for the Lagos-Kano and Calabar-Lagos rail lines, respectively, is counterpart funding to support the Chinese financing for the projects.

“These projects are part of the Strategic Implementation Plan of the government which was disclosed by the Minister of Budget and National Planning at the National Economic Council Retreat in March 2016, in the presence of state governors.

“They were also mentioned by the Vice President last week in Lagos at The Nation Newspaper’s First National Economic Forum.

“It is hoped that with this clarification, the raging controversy over the Calabar-Lagos rail project will be put to rest.”

But it seems the Senate is not buying it. It has said that in spite of protest by the executive over alleged non-inclusion of the N60 billion Lagos-Calabar coastal rail project in the 2016 budget, it would not revisit the budget.

Instead, the Red Chamber asked President Muhammadu Buhari to prepare a detailed supplementary budget capturing the project and submit before it for consideration.

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