…As Senate commends work at Kano-Maradi rail line

The Minister of Transportation, Senator Said Alkali, has asserted that the rail transport system has the potential to be next to the oil sector as the greatest contributor to Nigeria’s revenue in the near future.

Alkali made this assertion during an inspection tour of the on-going Kano-Daura-Maradi rail project, alongside members of the Senate Committee on Land Transportation who were also on an oversight visit of the project sites.

He noted that some governors were already investing in the rail sector, from Lagos to Plateau, as well as Kaduna, pointing out that they had indicated their interest in expanding railways in their states.

He said, “The idea of unbundling the sector is to allow private sector participation. You can also see the huge investment the federal government is making in the sector to ensure that infrastructure is in place.

“By the time you start freight from Lagos to Maradi, in line with the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, we are going to generate a lot of money. It will make a lot of impact on the GDP of the country.

“By the time we link Port Harcourt and Onne ports through Aba to Maiduguri, you will see the transformation and you will see how it will be next to oil.

Also, while inspecting the University of Transportation Daura, Alkali disclosed plans to give students specialised training that would make them take over the transportation system as a whole.

Moreover, the Minister disclosed that there had been serious improvements by the contractors handling the rail construction since his last visit, saying also that: “I have also directed the contractor to ensure the payment of compensations for those affected along the construction corridor.”

Meanwhile, the Chairman Senate Committee on Land Transportation, Senator Adamu Aliero, who led the delegation of the National Assembly, has pledged full support for the project which he said would be of great economic benefit to the country, saying that the Committee was really impressed by what was on ground, just as he urged that a lot more needed to be done.

According to him, the inspection visit underscores the commitment of the current administration to give Nigerians a new lease of life, revealing however, that the progress made so far was from the counterpart funds from the Nigerian government, as that from other partners were yet to come.

At the University of Transportation Daura, Aliero commended the efforts made so far to put the institution in good standing while insisting that much more needs to be done.

“It is a national university and for it to be able to accommodate students from all over the country, it needs to expand its facilities.

“So far, with what we have seen, the federal government must build more facilities. Currently, it can only receive about 1,300 students out of about 5000 requests for admission received,” he said.

Speaking on the Kano-Maradi railway project, the Minister said that it would cost Nigeria over $1.9B which is equivalent to N400 Billion, noting that the Federal Government was to pay 15% of the project while the partnership company should source for the 85% funds on loan, which the Federal Government would pay within 50 years duration.

The project which started in 2022 by the Buhari administration is expected to be completed in December 2026.

The Nigerian government, through the Federal Ministry of Transportation is building a railway line that will connect Kano to Jigawa States, on northern border of Nigeria, and will extend across Niger to Maradi.

“In addition, a new branch line will be constructed from Kano to Dutse in Jigawa State, Nigeria. The new railway line with around 400 km and 13 stations, in three federated states of Kano, Jigawa and Katsina will extend to Niger Republic.

This new infrastructure will integrate rail transport with existing road transport to improve passenger and cargo transportation in the served states.

The objective is to develop the Nigerian rail network by promoting logistical integration with other transport networks, thus creating a fast, safe and ecological rail infrastructure to optimize and improve means.

Once completed, the railway is expected to transport 9,300 passengers and 3,000 tons of freight daily, stimulating agricultural and manufacturing growth along the route.

Please follow and like us: