Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, has responded to claims that he is being touted to emerge as Nigeria’s next president in 2023.
Amaechi, who spoke on the matter when he appeared as a guest on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, dismissed the claims.
Noting that his concerns currently remained doing his job as a minister, Amaechi said only God can tell who becomes Nigeria’s next president.
“I am still the Minister for Transportation and only God can tell who will be the President of Nigeria in 2023,” he said.
Earlier, the former governor of Rivers State, spoke of the Federal Government’s Kano-Maradi (Niger Republic) rail project, saying that it would “cost us $1.9bn and we will source it from mostly Europe.”
He said the government was yet to secure the loan but will soon conclude it.
When asked how long it will take the country to repay the loan, Amaechi said:
“That is the responsibility of the Ministry of Finance. When we would pay; what are the terms of agreement for the loan and all that would be the responsibility of the Ministry of Finance.
“So, that question can be directed to the Minister for Finance. For us in Transportation, our job is to work with the Ministry of Finance to procure the loan and commence construction and we think we would commence construction on Tuesday.”
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On why the government is embarking on a rail project to Niger Republic, the minister said, “The interest is national; the interest is about Nigeria. The Maradi terminal is just 20 kilometres away from Nigeria; just 20 kilometres. So, there is no huge investment like Nigerians are thinking.”