Muhammad Kabir 
Kano to Maradi Niger Republic Rail, a $2 billion line project awarded by former President Muhammadu Buhari, is to be completed at the agreed project target year of 2025.
Speaking while inspecting the project that commenced from Dawanau Kano and scheduled to stop at the Niger Republic, the Minister of Transport, Senator Saidu Ahmad Alkali, on Friday said near Daura in Katsina State, that Government is satisfied with the level of work going on.
He said, “The earthwork of the Project has reached 80 per cent competition stage while real Rail line work would soon commence after the earthworks”.
The Minister added, “I’m impressed with what we have seen we come all the way from Dawanau where the project started so that we have firsthand information of the level of the execution of the project and the Contractors are in compliance with the level of specifications of the jobs”.
On whether the Contractor would meet the set target of the completion of the Project the Minister explained that the major work has been done and there is every tendency that they would meet the target.
Senator Ahmad Alkali noted in admiration of the contractor work that from Dawanau Kano to the Daura area the Bush, and earth clearing were done perfectly and that the contract is smoothly going on without any hitches.
On whether the original Cost of the project would be readjusted to meet the current high cost of production realities, the Minister said even the Contractor should make some sacrifice to contribute his quota in the fixing of Nigeria by the Tinubu-led administration.
The Lead Contractor, Mr. Vladislav Bystrenko, said the Contract sum was $1.95 Billion Dollars and that they signed contractual obligations around 2021 with the Federal Government.
He added that even before Money was released to them they went ahead with some major job of designing, land survey and supervising the entire area of the contract to reduce the major part of the project.
Mr. Vladislav Bystrenko assured us that the government is highly serious about completing the project as of the fixed year of 2025.
The Minister also while in Daura Katsina State inspected the Muhammadu Buhari University of Transportation, and the Head of the University promised to commence admissions in the Institution next Month.
