Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has disclosed that the US$50million University of Transportation, Daura, scheduled to take off September next year will be built free of charge by the Chinese government.
The Minister who stated this at the weekend in Daura, Katsina State, during his maiden inspection tour of the ongoing project, also informed that Technics Engineering Architectural Marketing, TEAM, the project consultants, have promised to provide their services free of charge as well.
The Transportation Minister, further explained that the brain behind the $50 million university is to acquire technology needed to operate the railway system currently being built by the China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) when the Chinese withdraws.
He estimated that the university will be completed in September 2021.
The minister added that the project will also include the construction of primary and secondary schools within the university premises.
“There have been too much noise about them (CCECC) not constructing anything. When you got there you saw that they were constructing. They have just got the approval from the state government,” he said.
“Proper construction will start at the end of September and hopefully they should be about to complete it at the end of September next year.
“This is not a railway contract. This is a gift from them (CCECC). I have said my assumption is that they should finish by next year September.
“The idea is that there should be a primary school in it, especially for those lecturers who will come from outside. There will be two building for the primary School, a secondary school and then the university.
“Don’t forget that it is a gift, so they may not be as dedicated as they will be when it comes to a proper contract.”
Amaechi said the contractors have promised to give the project the same attention they accord to railway construction.
On manpower, the minister said the Chinese company would provide all that is required for the construction for five years after which the federal government should have been able to get its own technical staff.
