Due to security concerns and destruction of the rail infrastructure along the route, the federal government has put a stop to the building of the Port Harcourt-Maidugiri Eastern rail line.
During the project's inspection on Friday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the transportation minister, engineer Mu'azu Sambo, revealed this.
The contractor in charge of the project's repair and reconstruction, China Civil Engineering and Construction Company (CCEC), allegedly complained of attacks on its employees along the Abia State axis.
Sambo, who was obviously quite offended by the actions, strongly denounced them, pointing out that no administration in Nigerian history had ever invested more in rail infrastructure than the one currently in place under President Muhammadu Buhari.
He took use of the occasion to urge the court and the media to work with the Ministry to guarantee that economic saboteurs are not only exposed but also swiftly charged and convicted to serve as a deterrent to others.
Regarding the alleged misappropriation of funds intended for the Eastern Rail Line, the Minister claimed that the claims were untrue because only 15% of the Nigerian counterpart funding had been received thus far, and the remaining 85% was still being discussed with foreign partners.