The Trains To Niger Republic
When a Senator begs a minister to give his fellow citizens trains over another country. And when the minister argues that the country cannot afford to build new systems but can borrow to build great ones for another country. It seems like a Nollywood script but it is playing live in Nigeria. What a nation!
“Why will you give those of us from the eastern part of Nigeria, from South-East, North-Central, North-East the archaic, old modern narrow gauge, then you are now spending a lot of money to do the modern standard gauge to another country [Niger Republic]. Are people from the South-East, North-Central and North-East not Nigerians? Why should there be double standard in this matter?” - Danjuma Goje, Chairman of Senate Committee on Marine Transport to Minister of Transport, Chibuike Ameachi.
Then the minister responded: "Ameachi, while responding to issue raised by the committee, said the difference between the narrow gauge and standard gauge was speed, adding that the country might not get the money to build standard gauge across the country.
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He said that the negotiation for loan for the construction of Kano- Maradi standard gauge line was about to be completed.
He also clarified that his ministry was yet to get money for Kano-Kaduna, Port Harcourt-Maiduguri railway projects."
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