Rotimi Amaechi, the Minister of Transportation, says over 20,000 workers were engaged for the ongoing construction of Lagos-Ibadan rail project.
Amaechi said in a statement on Monday that the engagement was in compliance with the local content law inherent in the 1.6-billion-dollar contract agreement between Nigeria and China.
He made the clarification in Abuja at a public hearing 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.
Amaechi said, “There are over 20,000 Nigerian workers employed for the construction of the Lagos-Ibadan railway project, only five-hundred and sixty of the workers on that project are Chinese.
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“Most materials for the project are also locally sourced, except for those that were manufactured outside Nigeria.
“We have over one hundred and fifty Nigerians being trained as Engineers in China.
“The Chinese have also built 2 training institutions for us, one at Idu and the other one is the Transportation University in Daura, Katsina State.”
Amaechi also reiterated that the coastal rail project might not sail through if the House committee continues its investigations on the project before the loan is granted.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK