Amaechi Attacks Ambode Over Lagos Rail Project

Former Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, Thursday revealed he was “nearly angry” with ex-Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos over the lackadaisical way he handled the Lagos rail project especially the blue and red lines.

Amaechi spoke during the Intermodal Transportation Summit in Lagos organised by the Transportation Correspondents’ Association of Nigeria (TCAN) with the theme, “Intermodal Transport: Prospects and Challenges.”

The former minister said that the then federal government had allowed Lagos State Government to make use of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) track for the red line but Ambode didn’t take the project seriously.

Amaechi said that there was a monorail project in Rivers State before the Lagos State Government started its project. However, the Lagos State Government became the first sub-national to commission metro lines with the inauguration of red line and blue line.

“There was monorail in Rivers State. But in all honesty Lagos State has done well in rail transportation. The place I nearly got angry was when Ambode almost gave up the blue line,” he said.

“I tried to get Ambode. I tried through the Vice-President (Yemi Osinbajo), I reported him to the President until the new governor came. I said, ‘listen, we were about to close the line. There is a line the Ministry of Transport would give you based on our agreement.’

“Ambode had told me as if they were not interested. He said they were to construct it (a new track). I said, “no don’t construct, use the federal government’s corridor. There is not enough train movement, buy your own coaches and run on our tracks.”

Amaechi, however, commended the present administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for taking up the projects and seeing them to completion.