Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Mr. Sabiu. Zakari, has said the total contract sum of the Lagos-Ibadan rail project is $1, 58 billion
Zakari gave the figures following media reports that the contract cost was higher than what Ghana signed for more kilometres of rail facilities.
A statement by Assistant Director of Press, Federal Ministry of Transport, Anastasia Ogbonna, quoted the permanent secretary to have noted that the Lagos-Ibadan railway project was being executed in the spirit of transparency and accountability of which the present administration stands for.
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The permanent secretary had said, “The clarification became imperative following insinuations by some media houses that the project was inflated over and above a non-existent one in Ghana.”
Mr. Zakari further explained that “the Lagos-Ibadan railway is actually 386km since it is a double track rail line as against the 156km alleged which is just the distance from Ebute Meta (Lagos) and Ibadan terminal stations only.”
Of note too, according to him, was the fact that railway project does not depend solely on the distance between terminal points but rely on various factors which include but not limited to terrain, core operation accessories, land acquisition and compensation, earthworks, bridges, culverts and stations.