The China Civil Engineering and Construction Corporation (CCECC), the contractor handling the Lagos-Ibadan rail project, is in a race to meet the June commissioning deadline by finishing at least seven stations, Daily Trust reports.
The Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, had last Saturday inspected the project where he frowned at the slow pace of work at some of the 10 stations on the route.
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He then insisted that the project was slated for commissioning by June, 2021. He also held a meeting with CCECC and the project consultants, where he insisted on the June timeline.
He said, “I hope the office of the president will approve the commissioning of this project in June. We will communicate the actual date in the next one or two weeks, but certainly, I think it is in June.
“We are not 100 per cent ready for commissioning, but if for nothing, we are 89 to 90 per cent ready for commissioning, and we are hoping that by the next three weeks we will be ready and by then, they will give us a date from the office of the president.”
Daily Trust, however, gathered Thursday that the contractor had been given the mandate to complete at least seven of the 10 stations.
An official of the CCECC said finishing touches were being put on the seven stations: Apapa, Ebute-Metta, Agege, Kajola, Papalanto, Abeokuta and Ibadan.
“The minister gave us the target to make sure seven stations are completely ready. We are trying to see how we can meet up. Most of the works we are doing now are just finishing touches and we are very optimistic that we will meet the deadline.”
