Completion of Lagos-Ibadan rail better delayed than risk Coronavirus —NRC

Emmanuel Akosile | ConsumerConnect

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) says the possible delay in the completion of the Lagos-Ibadan Rail Project owing to the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) across the world is better than jeopardising the health of Nigerians.

It was gathered that Jerry Oche, Lagos Railway District Manager, NRC, while commenting on the possible delay of the rail project, told the News Agency of Nigeria that “the simple question we should ask ourselves is what do we want?

“Do we want to be infected with the Coronavirus because we want to meet the time for the completion of the project?

“Or we prefer a situation where the Chinese take care of themselves and get over the epidemic before coming to complete the project so that we are all safe and healthy?

“The project we are talking about is for the living people, not for the dead. If the Coronavirus should infect us, how do we handle that?” He asked.

ConsumerConnect recalls that Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, Minister for Transportation, Thursday, March 5, had disclosed that the outbreak of Coronavirus in China might delay the completion of the Lagos-Ibadan rail project.

The COVID-19, which has become a global health challenge, is threatening the April 2020 deadline of the project being handled by the China Civil Engineering and Construction Corporation (CCECC).

Amaechi had said the delay might not be unconnected to the fact that the bulk of the workforce handling the project were stuck in China, where the disease broke out and spread to other countries.

The Chinese Government prevented some of the workers from returning to Nigeria because of the virus, he stated.