The Minister for Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, said that the establishment of the University was an attempt at responding to the question of how Nigerians will maintain infrastructures built in the country.
Amaechi said this, on Monday, at the groundbreaking of the Transportation University in Daura, Katsina.
He said: “It is my attempt at responding to the question of how to maintain and manage all the infrastructure we are building and realised that education is key.
“I engaged the companies, the first engagement was when they were constructing Lagos-Ibadan. They were not so keen at spending their funds to build a university for Nigeria until I refused to sign the contract for the Lagos to Ibadan railway. I insisted that I will only sign if three things were done.”
“The first thing is to take our children to China and train them by giving them a first degree in railway technology. Today as I speak, 60 of our children are in their second year and we thank CCECC and 90 are on their way to China this week, making it 150.”
“The second is that, if we must sign the purchase of locomotives in China, they must build a factory where we can construct for coaches, locomotives and wagon and today at Kajola that factory is being constructed.”
“Finally, I insisted on the University of transportation and today we are here for the groundbreaking of the University and for all we are grateful to CCECC and the Chinese government.”
He addressed the issue of why the university is situated in the Northern part of Nigeria. He replied: “When we sited the factory at Kajola, there was no noise, nobody debated about it, nobody abused us for it unlike the site for the University.
“Daura is in Nigeria, it is not in any other part of the world. It is not in the Niger Republic, Biafra or Mali, it is in Nigeria. So, what is wrong in siting the University of transportation in Daura? I have no regret siting this university where I have sited it, it is not because I want to get any gain,” Amaechi said.
