 |
| Chinese Officials during the briefing |
The much
talked about Lagos, Abeokuta, Ibadan rail modernization project being handled
by China is set to complete May 2020.
Speaking
with media during the a press briefing to appraise the just concluded Belt and
Road Forum held in Beijing, China, Commercial officer of the Embassy of the
Peoples Republic of China in Nigeria Liu Jungsheng said the project which is being handled
by CCECC, a subsidiary of China Railway Construction Corporation CRCC is
expected to extend to Apapa ports and will cost 1.581b dollars to complete.
Liu also
said the Export Import Bank of China EIBC provides 80.14% of the funding which
amounts to 1.267b dollars while Nigeria committed 19.86% which amounts to 314m
dollars.
 |
| Guan Zhonqui, Acting Counsel General, Embassy of PRC Lagos |
According to
the diplomat, the three years project commenced May 2017 and will adopt the
Chinese double track standard with a designed speed of 150km per hour.
He says “construction
work commenced simultaneously in different sections of the project with over
10,000 foreign and local employees and over 1,600 sets of equipment on site. The project has been progressing with safety,
quality and efficiency despite the rainy season and various obstacles with over
80% of the job already done.
 |
| Chinese Commercial officer Liu |
With the
rate of work going on at the pace of 2km daily, it is expected that the
remaining 20% will be concluded by May 2020”
Earlier
during the briefing, the Acting Consul General of the Embassy of the People’s
Republic of China in Lagos Guan Zhonqui had enumerated the many gains of the
Belt and Road Initiative conceived by the Chinese leader Xi Jinping in 2013
adding that the second “Belt and Road Forum is the most important event in
China in 2019”.
In his words
“world leaders who attended the forum reached broad consensus on high quality
cooperation delivering substantial results”.
By Fred Iwenjora
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