2025 Budget: Senator Umeh Worried Over Omission Of Eastern Rail Line
The Senator representing Anambra Central and Chairman Senate Committee on Diaspora Matters and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Distinguished Senator Victor Umeh, has expressed deep concern over the possible omission of the Port Harcourt-Enugu-Maiduguri Eastern Railway Line in the proposed federal budget for 2025 presented by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (PBAT) to the joint session of the National Assembly.
Umeh, one of the outspoken, vibrant and performing parliamentarians in the Red Chamber who was recently conferred with the ‘Responsive Representation for Good Governance Award’ by the Senate Press Corps, raised the concern while contributing to discussions on the general principles of the N49.7 trillion 2025 budget proposal on the floor of the Senate.
Acknowledging that the plans to construct the Sokoto-Badagry and Lagos-Calabar highways were okay, the Ohamadike Ndigbo who is always deeply concerned about issues affecting his people and Nigerians, emphasized the significance of the Eastern Rail Line, which he had previously advocated for via a motion co-sponsored by 35 Senators on November 15, 2023.
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The motion had called on the Federal Government to construct a standard-gauge railway from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri and it was unanimously adopted by the Senate.
He pleaded with the Senate to ensure that the eastern rail line is included in the detailed budget breakdown for the 2025 fiscal year.
The Anambra Central Senator equally wondered how the proposed exchange rate of N1500 to $1 would help bring down the soaring inflation from 34% to 15% in 2025.
Addressing his colleagues on the floor of the Red Chamber, Umeh said: “Let me say that the budget as presented by President Bola Ahmed Tibunu was a very ambitious budget with very huge financial provisions in the highlighted sectors. I don’t want to go into the economics of the budget but I was wondering how N1500 for $1 will bring down inflation from 34% to 15%. I will leave that to work out.
“Let me go straight to where I have concern. My concern is on the infrastructure proposed by the President to be built in 2025. During the budget speech Mr President highlighted that Sokoto-Badagry Highway will be built and Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway will be built. I was waiting to hear that the President will build the Port-Harcourt – Maiduguri Railway Line which is the Eastern Rail Line.
“You will recall that I brought a motion here for the Federal Government to build the Eastern Rail Line and that motion was co-sponsored by 35 senators. It was unanimously resolved that the President should build standard gauge rail from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri. All the senators on that corridor co-sponsored that motion. So, I was expecting a legacy project, the eastern rail line drawing from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri. But it does appear that it has been overlooked again.
“I have seen the provision on land transportation. What we have there is N223b. We have looked at it. And it is obvious that with the ongoing projects from Kaduna to Kano, Kano to Maladi and other rail lines under construction, that Port Harcourt Rail Line can hardly be there.
“So, I want to draw the attention of the Senate to that. Let’s hope that it is in the breakdown. But in the event that it is not there. I would like the Senate to intervene. The government has just announced free train ride starting from 20th December 2024 to 6th of January 2025 for the holidays. There is no rail line in that corridor, meaning that Nigerians along that corridor cannot benefit.
“Therefore, I am pray that Senate should consider that project (the eastern rail line) and include it in the 2025 appropriation.”
