This is according to the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Mr Sabiu Zakari.

Zakari made this known in a statement signed by the Assistant Director, Press of the Ministry, Anastasia Ogbonna, on Wednesday in Abuja.

He added too that the cost index/km of the project was 4.09 million dollars and not 13.6 million dollars also alleged.

He said he had to make the clarification because there were allegations that it was inflated.

He said the government was transparent in the execution of the project.

According to him, those making the allegations were comparing the project with “a non-existent one in Ghana.”

“At best, the said Ghanaian project is at conceptual stage as there were neither construction designs nor cost estimates.

“Similarly, to give credence to the fact that there is no basis for comparism as raised by the allegations, the Ghanaian government has since refuted the publication,” he said.

The Lagos-Ibadan railway work was actually 386km, being a double track rail line, Zakari said, as against the 156km alleged.

He explained that a railway project did not depend solely on the distance between terminal points but on various factors.

The factors, he stated, included terrain, core operation accessories, land acquisition and compensation, earthworks, bridges, culverts and stations.

He emphasised that due diligence was followed in the execution of the project.

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