President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday said the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, had created a serious problem for him when he (Amaechi) promised that a railway line would be constructed to link the South-East zone to the northern part of the country.
He disclosed this during the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign rally held inside the main bowel of Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu.
Buhari said it would be difficult for him to convince the Federal Executive Council (FEC) members for approval of such projects, but added that he would do his best to make FEC members see the need for it.
“Amaechi has made you people a promise and I don’t know how to fulfill it. But I can see how I will fulfill it by getting the Federal Executive Council members to approve it,” Buhari said.
He said the promise Amaechi made was not presented to FEC, noting that it would have been proper to get approval from FEC before making it open.
President Buhari, who thanked the people of the zone for trooping out to the event, advised them to always have faith in Nigeria as they did not have any other country.
“We all must join hands to build a stronger country as we do not have any other country,” he said.
The president said his government was determined to fix infrastructure in the country, adding that “if we get the roads done, get the rail lines done, and get other infrastructure done, we will be making progress.”
Buhari later presented Senator Ayogu Eze to the crowd as the party’s governorship candidate in the state.
Earlier, Amaechi, while addressing the party members and supporters at the event, had promised the revitalization of the eastern rail line.
He said the next capital project “we shall approve is Port Harcourt – Maiduguri rail line which will run from Port Harcourt to Onitsha through Awka.
“The other one will run through Port Harcourt, Umuahia, Enugu, Makurdi to Jos.”
Amaechi further said “restructuring can only be achieved if you vote for Buhari’s re-election so that Igbo man can become the next president after Buhari.”
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