The Federal Government at the weekend reaffirmed Its commitment to maximise the potentials in the railway sector for the economic growth of Nigeria.
Speaking while on the inspection with National Assembly (NASS) Members on the ongoing Kano-Daura -Maradi rail project the Minister of Transportation, Senator Sa’id Alkali disclosed that the potential of the rail transport system when harnessed will displace the oil sector as the greatest contributor to Nigeria’s revenue in a short while.
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 infrastructure is in place.
“By the time you start freight from Lagos to Maradi, in line with the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AFCFTA), 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.”
The Minister who also had a brief stop at the University of Transportation Daura, Katsina State, hinted of plans to give students specialised training that will make them take over the transportation system as a whole.
Alkali also disclosed that there have been serious improvements by the contractors handling the rail construction since his last visit.
“I have also directed the contractor to ensure the payment of compensations for those affected along the construction corridor,” the Minister stated..
The Chairman Senate Committee on Land Transportation, Senator Adamu Aliero who led the delegation of the National Assembly pledged full support for the project which he said will be of great economic benefit to the country.
He said the committee is really impressed by what it is seeing but a lot more needs to be done..
Aliero further disclosed that, the progress made so far has been from the counterpart funds from the Nigerian government as that from other partners are yet to come.
At the University of Transportation Daura, the Senator confirms that a lot has been done 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 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 stated.
The project which started in 2022 by the Buhari administration is expected to be completed in December 2026.
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