NASS members, Transport Minister on oversight Kano-Maradi rail project
...visits Muhammadu Buhari Federal University of transportation
The Senator representing Bayelsa Central Senatorial District, who is also the vice chairman of the Senate committee on road transport, Rt. Hon. Konbowei Benson, alongside other members of the National Assembly, carried out an on-the-spot assessment on the ongoing multi-billion-dollar Kano to Maradi rail project.
The project being undertaken by a renown Portuguese-based construction company, Mota-Engil, is expected to connect the three Federal States of Kano, Jigawa, and Katsina, and the city of Maradi, in the Republic of the Niger, has an approximate length of 283,750 km; it passes by all the most important cities and villages, which are served by 15 stations distributed along the route.
According to the contractor, the rail line has about 100 bridges. So, the committee visited several points along the Kano-Katsina axis where the bridges are being constructed.
The committee also visited the company’s site, where it appreciated the serious manufacturing and assembling of various rail equipment being done there in anticipation of facilitating the completion of the project ahead of the 2025 timeline.
At the site, management of the company, Mota-Engil, told the NASS committee that it needs the release of funds to enable it to speed up work on the project to meet its target. The committee assured them that it would take the message to the appropriate quarters for necessary actions.
The committee terminated its oversight on a visit to Muhammadu Buhari Federal University of Transportation, Daura, where the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Adam Umar, confirmed the commencement of academic activities in the university.
The committee went round some critical infrastructure on the campus, including hostels, where they interfaced with some of the students who demanded the citing of more hostels to accommodate more students and decongest existing ones to give comfort to students to enhance learning.
The oversight, which was led by the chairman of the Senate committee on land transport, the senator representing Kebbi Central senatorial district, Senator Muhammad Adamu Aliero, also had the Minister of Transportation, Senator Saidu Ahmad Alkali, the Portuguese ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Paulo Santos, the permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Mr. Oloruntola Olufemi, other members of the National Assembly, and some senior staff of Mota-Engil Nigeria, the rail company handling the project.
