The Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Ameachi, has said that over 20,000 Nigerian workers were engaged for the ongoing construction of Lagos-Ibadan rail project.
This, he said, is in compliance with the local content law inherent in the $1.6 billion contract agreement between Nigeria and China.
Amaechi made the clarification at a public hearing in Abuja, while responding to concerns by the House of Representatives Committee on Treaties, Protocols and Agreements that local content was not observed in the course of the project.
He said, “There are over 20,000 Nigerian workers employed for the construction of the Lagos-Ibadan railway project, only 560 of the workers on that project are Chinese,” adding that most materials for the project were locally sourced except for those that were manufactured outside Nigeria.
“We have over 150 Nigerians being trained as Engineers in China. The Chinese has also built two training institutions for us, one at Idu and the other one is the Transportation University in Daura, Katsina state,” Amaechi said.
The minister also revealed that only a contract of $1.6b was awarded by the present administration in the Ministry of Transportation as against the allegations by the committee chairman, Hon. Nicholas Ossai that there was a $33b contract awarded by the present administration.
