ABIA (Sundiata Post) – The Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, (COSEYL) has charged the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) to immediately get back to work and complete the Aba-Port Harcourt section of the Eastern Railway (Port Harcourt to Maiduguri Line), or risk a protest against what it termed a shoddy job.
COSEYL said it found it disturbing and unacceptable to hear the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) say that the Federal Government has fully completed the 63-kilometre Port Harcourt-Aba railway project, a section of the Port Harcourt Maiduguri Railway (Eastern Rail Line).
Commuters and drivers have been complaining bitterly since the new tracks were laid especially around the Aba-Owerri Road railway cross, a situation that has made the Mayors of Aba South and Aba North Local Government Areas, Chief Uche Wogu and Ideh John Udeagbala to visit the site and the company to seek a solution.
COSEYL said it was shocked to hear the managing director of NRC, Mr Fidet Okhiria announce that the Federal government has completed the 63-kilometre Port Harcourt-Aba railway project when he did not try to move with his delegation to inspect the project properly.
The group said that despite the deliberate decision to put a Narrow gauge in the Eastern Railway while other regions were given Standard Gauge which was tolerated, it is embarrassing and insulting not to do the Narrow gauge as it ought to be.
Comrade Goodluck Ibem, President General of COSEYL told newsmen in Aba on Thursday that Okhiria’s statement that the Aba-Port Harcourt section has been completed should be discarded because it is not true.
“The job was shoddily done by the contractors and we will not accept such a shoddy job that was not executed accordingly,” he said.
COSEYL said that a close observation of the project by anyone who is not even an engineer will not approve the project as a completed project.
The Igbo Youth group called on the CCECC, to immediately get back to work complete the project and stop making things difficult for the people, adding that after three days, it will take lawful action that will let everyone know that the Southeast East Zone cannot be taken for a ride.
“If after three days, we do not see them on-site making the necessary amends and corrections, we will embark on a 1 million Man March protest against the CCECC contractors and will not stop until all the contracts given to them in South East are revoked and given to competent and reliable contractors. Enough said!” it said.
COSEYL said that in Aba, the CCECC removed the asphalt along Aba-Owerri Road, Uratta Road and other roads where the rail line crossed and poured gravel on the roads which makes it very difficult for vehicular movements.
“They did not pour sufficient gravel along the railway lines which will affect the movement of trains. Some bolts and nuts are not in place along the Uratta axis of the railway line.
“After the construction of the railway line, vehicles cannot pass through junctions in Aba like Ukwuachara by rail, Ojoto by rail and other roads that crossed the rail which were before now passable when we had the old rail line.
“The shoddy job they did have caused very serious traffic and free flow of vehicular movements. They need to get back to work immediately to complete their job.
“The CCECC used inferior material to do their job. The rail line steel is inferior and is not straight which can lead to trains falling off from the tracks.
“The rail steel used where we have a road crossing is a little stronger than where there is no road crossing. The job is poorly executed and we condemn it in its entirety,” the group added.
COSEYL said that the rehabilitation of the railway line was not intended to make life difficult for the people but rather to make things easy for Nigerians, but what it sees after the shabby job by CCECC is worrisome.
“People stay in traffic for 4 to 5 hours just to pass through a railway crossing. What wickedness. We call on the CCECC to immediately get back to work and complete the project and stop making things difficult for the people,” it said.
