The Senate yesterday resolved to probe the Minister
of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi over the process of the concession of Port
Harcourt-Maiduguri and Lagos-Kano rail lines to a U.S. conglomerate, General
Electric (GE).
The Senate adopted a motion sponsored by Senator
Bassey Albert Akpan (PDP, Akwa-Ibom North East) titled “Urgent need to
investigate the granting of concession of the western (Lagos-Kano) and eastern
(Port Harcourt-Maiduguri) rail lines to General Electric, a U.S. company.”
The lawmakers asked the committees on
Privatisation, Land Transport, Finance, Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes,
Special Duties, Trade and Investment and Judiciary to investigate the procedure
adopted in the engagement of General Electric for the concession of the rail
lines.
Akpan quoted Amaechi in an interview in June this
year where he allegedly announced Nigeria’s $2 billion engagement with GE on
the concession of western and eastern rail lines – Lagos to Kano and Port
Harcourt to Maiduguri.
He explained that the minister violated the Public
Enterprises (Privatisation and Commercialisation) Act, 1999 establishing the
National Council on Privatisation and the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE).
In a related development, the Nigeria Union of
Railways Workers (NUR) yesterday protested against the plan by the Federal Government
to concession the nation’s 3,505 km narrow-garage track railways system to GE
without paying the workers their entitlement.
During the protest in Lagos, the Secretary General
of the union, Segun Esan said: “We are not against the privatisation of railways
if the citizens are assured that it is the best thing for them at this time to
boost the nation’s economy. But all we are asking for is to pay the workers off
before handing over to GE.”
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives, yesterday,
queried the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) MasterCard policy, which restrains
Nigerian students abroad from withdrawing over $100 in a month.
Chairman of the House Committee on Diaspora, Rita
Orji, who had an interactive session with CBN’s Director of Trade and Exchange,
Gotring Dauda, said the students could no longer purchase basic needs as a
result of the policy.
Also, he apex bank, yesterday, warned Nigerians in
the Diaspora not to patronise unlicensed international Money Transfer
Operators, saying they risk losing their cash.
The bank also directed Deposit Money Banks to
ensure painstaking conduct of the ‘Know Your Customer’s Business’, to prevent
use of accounts for illegal transactions, and avoid sanctions.
Dauda explained: “The situation is because of the
realities on ground. All sectors of the economy are complaining; manufacturing,
aviation, everybody is facing this problem. The CBN would not take deliberate
decisions that would bring hardship to our students. The foreign exchange is
simply not there.”
Orji recalled how she was almost lynched by
protesting Nigerian students in Montreal, Canada, recently. She called for a
reversal of the policy, warning that desperate students may resort to crime to
meet their needs and consequently smear Nigeria’s image.
Guardian
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