Nigeria’s minister of transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has said General Electric, GE, and the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation Ltd, CCECC, will build universities of transportation in Nigeria.
Mr Amaechi, while speaking at The Osasu Show symposium in Abuja on Friday, said the government is not only focusing on making the rail lines in Nigeria work, but also building capacity for Nigerians.
He however did not mention where the two global companies would build the universities.
The minister said the two major construction companies building the rails across Nigeria, will also build universities of transportation to train and empower Nigerians to build locomotives in about 10 to 15 years.
By the end of 2017, Mr Amaechi said, CCECC will be taking about 100 Nigerians to China to learn at undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD levels to return to Nigeria as faculty for the university of transportation.
The former governor of Rivers state however added that Nigeria’s fabrication of locomotive as taught at the upcoming universities would be hinged on the ability of the Ajaokuta Stell mill to function effectively.
“In the next 10 to 15 years, we should be able to fabricate locomotives, fabricate coaches — but in fabricating locomotives and coaches, we need to fix Ajaokuta steel mill,” Mr Amaechi said.
