FG INAUGURATES RAILWAY LINES CONCESSION COMMITTEE

The Federal Government on Friday constituted a 20-member steering committee on the concessioning of the Eastern and Western lines of the Nigeria Railways.

The move is said to be aimed at spurring a transformation of the railway infrastructure in the country.

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo inaugurated the committee headed by the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

A statement by his spokesperson, Mr. Laolu Akande, quoted the Vice-President as saying that the purpose of the committee was to create a one-stop shop for the concession, fast track the process and beat the red-tape and bureaucratic bottlenecks.

While urging members to be innovative, he expressed the hope that the committee would meet its deadlines and end up “to be an example of how it should be done.”

Observing the challenges of bureaucratic bottlenecks in the public service delivery system, he said President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration was determined to overcome them.

He said, “This steering committee is important because we have tried to bring together everybody that should be involved in this project in order to see to it that we deliver quickly and efficiently in a manner that justifies Federal Government’s expense in the project.

“The whole idea of the steering committee raises the issue we are trying to address, to have a one-stop shop for all approvals, objections or problems so that we can realize our target.”

Amaechi also said the committee was set up to ensure the concession of the nation’s railway and is expected to submit its report in six months time.

The committee is composed of officials and individuals from relevant public and private sectors.

The committee’s terms of reference include to advise the National Council on Privatisation on policy issues that impact on stakeholders interest; to advise the Bureau of Public Enterprises on efforts at improving stakeholders relations; to advise BPE and the Ministry of Transportation on planning, coordination and implementation of Nigeria Railway Corporation; and to review existing legislations, reports, studies and any other relevant information on the railway sector and provide guidance on policy issues.

Source: Punchng.com