By Godwin Oritse  & Favour Nnabugwu

THE Federal Government has suspended all rail projects in Maiduguri following the activities of Boko Haram insurgents.  Transport minister, Senator Umar disclosed during a courtesy call by the body of Permanent Secretaries led by the Head of Service, Alhaji Bukar Goni Aji to his office in Abuja.

Senator Umar said that due to activities of the insurgent which peaked at Maiduguri presently, the ongoing 1,552kilometre rail project from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri enroute Aba-Umuahia-Enugu-Makurdi-Lafia-Kuru-Bauchi-Gombe-Biu-Maiduguri will now stop at Gombe until Maiduguri is rid of activities of the insurgents.
After watching and listening to a 41-page presentation of the Ministry of Transportation‘s progress report by its Permanent Secretary, Engr Nebolisa Emodi, Alhaji Goni Aji  said he was not disappointed with the progress made so far though he added that the body will go into a close door meeting to score the Ministry on its performance.

He commended the cordial relationship that exists among the minister, permanent secretary, the directors, staff and the union of the Ministry. Aji explained that the driving force of  various reform initiatives embarked upon by the administration was to ensure efficiency and high productivity in the Federal  Civil Service reiterating that the body of permanent secretaries has taken up the challenge  to continually review themselves through Peer review mechanism for accountability and results.

Earlier, in his brief to the body, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Engr. Emodi, highlighted  the Ministry’s milestone achievements in actualizing the transformation agenda  of the Federal Government.