Olalekan Adetayo, Abuja

The Federal Executive Council on Wednesday approved a consultant that will be saddled with the responsibility of supervising the construction of the Lagos-Ibadan railway.

The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, disclosed this to State House correspondents at the end of the weekly meeting of the council presided over by the Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo.

Amaechi was joined at the press briefing by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah; and the Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole.

The minister said the same consultant had also been approved to supervise the Kano-Kaduna Railway once the contract is awarded.

He, however, did not disclose the identity of the approved consultant.

Amaechi said, “Two memos were approved from for the Ministry of Transportation. Cabinet has approved that we commence negotiations after we submitted the Outline Business Case that was submitted by General Electric.

“The transaction advisors will now commence negotiations with GE to conclude concession of the narrow gauge which starts from Lagos to Kano to Funtua, Kaura-Namoda and then from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri which includes Aba, Umuahia, Enugu, Makurdi, Jos, Bauchi, Gombe unto Maiduguri.

“The next memo that was approached has to do with the consultant that will supervise the construction of Lagos-Ibadan railway and when we award the Kano-Kaduna railway, the same consultant has also been approved.”

Enelamah on his part said the council approved the establishment of Nigerian Office for Trade Negotiations to coordinate the country’s various trade discussions and negotiations.