The Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party Lagos Chapter, Engr Adedeji Doherty in a statement released has condemned the approval made by the Buhari administration for the construction of a $1.9billion rail line from Nigeria to Niger.
The President Buhari gave the approval at a meeting of the Federal Executive Council in Abuja.The rail line is expected to connect three Northern states Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states to Niger Republic.
You would recall that as Head of State in 1984, the Buhari government cancelled the Lagos Metroline Project and even went on to pay compensation to the French company that was handling the project.
The compensation he paid was enough to execute the project to a reasonable level.
Engr Doherty lambasted the government saying that “the Buhari led administration seems to be incentive to the plight of it’s citizens”, he noted that “this same region has been characterised by brutal killings by armed militia that the government has not found a solution to.”
He said “this is coming at a time when the nation is still trying to get back on its feet after the Economic devastation caused by the Covid19 pandemic which has brought about a lot of hardship.”
He also said “Nigerians need answers, to why a government whose debt profile presently stands at N33trillion, would continue to embark on projects that would be funded by more loans thus putting the lives of Nigerians yet unborn into jeopardy.”
He said “the government is misplacing it’s priorities as these are times when several trade unions are planning to embark on nationwide strikes because of the increase in petrol pump price, electricity tariffs and prices of food stuff.”
He reiterated that a sensible and sensitive government in a nation such as ours at this moment is expected to be channelling scarce resources to the issue of insecurity, hunger, poverty and things capable of alleviating the pains of the people.”
He said “the government seems however not to be bothered about the plight of its citizens but seems only to be concerned about increasing the pains and suffering of its people.”
He however advised that President Buhari should come to Lagos and intervene into the issues militating against the completion of the Lagos monorail project and the Ibadan -Lagos Rail project rather than trying to build a new rail line that doesn’t have any immediate impact on the majority of our citizens.
He concluded by saying “Enough is Enough”.
