10th May, 2024
By Gabriel Agbeja
The Federal Government has said the Kano-Daura rail project is one of the priority projects of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration and will be completed by 2025.
The Kano-Maradi standard gauge railway line was inaugurated by the immediate past administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The project spans about 387 km from Kano to Daura to Maradi and a branch line from Kano to Dutse.
Breakdown shows first, a 287km stretch of track will connect three federal states in Northern Nigeria; namely Kano, Jigawa and Katsina- significant trade hubs- and the Republic of Niger (Maradi).
Another 93 km branch line will connect the capital of Jigawa’s State (Dutse) to Kano.
The rail line will cover 12 stations: Dutse, Gaya, Wudil Kano, Dambatta, Kazaure, Daura, Shargale, Marshi, Katsina, Jibia, Maradi in the Southern Niger republic.
Speaking on the progress Sen. Said Alkali, the Minister of Transportation said project is one of the priority projects of the ministry to be actualized at the stipulated time.
He said the project, when completed, would enable the transportation of raw materials over long distances and moving passengers and freight.
The minister said that the project would also add values in terms of development to the area.
“I have just discussed with the contractor, we are going to segment the project by God’s grace.
We are going to complete Kano-Daura next year (2025).
“Daura to Maradi will be ready in 2026, so also Dutse to Kano in 2026,” he said.
In a related development, Alkali had also assured Nigerians that freight services on Lagos-Kano narrow gauge project would commence in June.
Alkali gave the assurance in Kano on Thursday when he led a team on an inspection tour of the Kano-Maradi rail corridor project.
According to him, the freight services that would commence in June along the corridor, would boost the Gross Domestic Products (GDPs) of the entire country.
He said that the commencement of the freight operations would preserve lifespan of the nation’s highways and also save more people from auto crash on the road.
“At the Zawaciki axis of the project, rail tracks have linked the narrow gauge which is connected to the Dala dry inland port in Kano, to bring freight and passengers from Lagos.
“This will reduce cost of businesses and menace of road traffic accidents. We will save our highways and the multiplier effect is on the GDP growth of the country,” the minister said.
Alkali commended the efforts of the contractor – China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) -, handling the project for the level of works done so far.
The minister said that there was great improvement from what he saw the last time he visited the place.
(NAN)