Minister of Transportation Engr Mu’azu Sambo has scored the Muhammadu Buhari administration the best, since independence that has invested in infrastructure development of Nigeria.
He spoke while fielding questions after his inspection of the Mobolaji Johnson Mega Station of the Lagos-Ibadan Standard Guage rail line.
Sambo was accompanied on the tour of the expansive flagship train station by the Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation Engr Fidet Okhiria, other management staff of the railway, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transportation Dr Magdalene Ajani, as well as Managing Directors of other related agencies of government in the Ministry of Transportation.
He said without sounding immodest even as a member of the administration, he is proud to say that the Buhari administration tops all other governments in their commitment to infrastructure development.
According to him, to underscore the government’s commitment to infrastructure, the Buhari administration not only put in place the National Development Plan 2021-2025, it also has what it called the Presidential Infrastructure Development Plan, with which it is driving several priority legacy projects.
He said the government will continue to push the frontiers of development with it’s commitment to world class infrastructure.
On the resumption of the Abuja-Kaduna train service, Sambo said it will be inhuman to resume train operations on the critical corridor without the Federal Government completely rescuing all victims who were abducted by terrorists who attacked the train on March 28, 2022.
Recall that at a visit to the Idu and Lines Stations along the corridor two weeks ago, the Minister had said the train service will not resume until all abducted victims of the train have been reunited with their love ones and family members.
He said the Federal Government is doing all in its powers to achieve this, adding that while this is going on, efforts also in place to install on the corridor security architecture that would be in line with global standard to ensure that such attacks never resurfaces again.
Sambo added that it is only after these have been done that government will restore services back to the Abuja-Kaduna line.
“Our intention is to ensure that forever, nothing of such ever happens again not only on Abuja-Kaduna, but on all rail networks in the country,” the Minister said.
He described the Ministry of Transportation as a priority ministry that houses agencies that are very critical to the success of government, adding that he is satisfied with the quality of professionals driving the ministry as it is an assurance of the success of the Buhari administration.
Sambo also assures workers of his determination to address their lingering wage issue.
“The Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation had assured me that you are already at the tail end of negotiations with the workers leadership and we want to assure the workers that once everything relating to issues have been done, we would give you a feedback that would be favourable,” the Minister said.