ABUJA- The China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation Company (CCECC) has allayed the fears of Nigerians over the N971.1 billion ($8.3billion) Kano-Lagos rail line project.
It would be recalled that the contract for the project was signed in 2006.
A statement from the company said that the Chinese government gave the assurance in Beijing during an oversight function of the House of Representatives Committee on Marine Transport to the CCECC.
In the statement, the Vice Chairman China Railway Construction Corporation, (CRCC) Mr. Ding Yuancheng, who gave the assurance, said the Chinese had abundant experience and expertise to execute the rail-line project in Nigeria.
He said the government of China was specifically interested in the project in Nigeria and had held high level consultations with the federal government on the interest and eagerness of China in the project.
Yuancheng said he was elated that a delegation of members of the Nigerian Parliament came to China to verify the capacity of CCECC to successfully handle the rail line project.
He added that as a reputable Engineering Company, it would affirm its competence in the field by giving Nigeria a world standard rail line through Lagos-Kano. Yuancheng said that the government of China forged a merger between CRCC and CCECC through its National Reform Policy, based on CCECC’s international experience in handling rail line projects.
He said the CCECC as an engineering company had made its mark by handling world class rail line projects even in other African countries like Tanzania, Zambia, Algeria, Botswana and Libya.
He noted that the Company started showing interest in Nigeria as early as the late 70’s when the federal government invited it to construct a modern rail line in the country like that of Tanzania.
Yuancheng said the CCECC got a boost in rail line project by taking the contract for the Turkish Ankara-Istanbul Railway Rehabilitation project worth $1.2billion.
Other projects executed by CCECC were the Algerian East-West highway project worth $5.75 billion.
He said it was the feat performed by the company that propelled the Federal government of Nigeria to sign a contract of $8.3 billion Lagos-Kano rail line project with it.
He said as a mark of the interest of the government of China in the rail line modernisation in Nigeria, it was eager to offer a soft loan to the country to facilitate early completion of the project.Yuancheng said CCECC had never abandoned any project it had started. Earlier, Rep Bernard Udoh, who led a 10-man delegation from the Committee on Land Transport to the headquarters, said the government of Nigeria was eager to get the rail line project on stream.
Udoh said the House of Representatives resolved to visit China to ascertain the competence of the company to handle the contract.
He said his committee would be in a better position to comment after they might have completed their oversight function to China.
The lawmaker said that Nigeria would be ready to partner with developed countries most especially China towards developing its rail sector.
Udoh disclosed that he had earlier led members of the committee on a similar inspection tour of the office of CCECC in Lagos, its head office in Abuja and its Idu Construction base for the rail-line modernisation project.
Udoh said that the visit to China would enable the committee to determine the level of preparedness of the company for the successful completion of the project in Nigeria.
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