• Non-competitive bidding responsible, says expert
• ‘Contracts awarded before preliminary designs’
• NRC is in better position to speak on subject, insists transport ministry
• We’re not part of contract signing, NRC says
• Kano-Maradi project signed despite AfDB funding advisory
An investigation has shown that the average cost per kilometer (km) of the newly contracted Kano-Maradi rail line exceeds similar projects under the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA), as estimated by the African Union (AU) by, at least, 100 per cent.
The Federal Government, recently, announced that it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mota-Engil Group for the construction of the 283.75 Kano-Maradi standard-gauge rail at a contract cost of $1.959 billion.