President Bola Tinubu is moving to complete two major railway projects in Northern Nigeria, with the Kaduna–Kano Standard Gauge Railway scheduled for inauguration on December 3, 2026, his presidential campaign spokesman Dele Alake said on Sunday.
Alake who is also Minister of Solid Minerals Development in a statement said the 203-kilometre Kaduna–Zaria–Kano line, an extension of the Abuja–Kaduna standard gauge railway, is about 90% complete.
He noted that the 400-kilometre Kano–Katsina–Maradi railway has reached 70% completion, according to the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council.
According to Minister Alake, when President Tinubu took office in 2023, the Kano–Katsina–Maradi project was barely 5% complete, while the Kaduna–Kano line was less than 30% finished.
The Minister explained that the projects are central to the government’s effort to expand rail infrastructure, improve regional connectivity and ease the movement of passengers and freight across Northern Nigeria and into neighboring Niger.
Once operational, Alake said the Kaduna–Kano railway will create a continuous rail link between Abuja, Kaduna, Zaria and Kano, connecting several of the region’s principal commercial centers.
The Federal Government expects it to offer an alternative to road travel along one of Northern Nigeria’s busiest trade corridors.
The Kano–Katsina–Maradi railway is intended to strengthen cross-border transport and commerce between Nigeria and Niger Republic, supporting trade flows in the wider Sahel region.
He said a Federal Government team, dispatched on President Tinubu’s directive and led by Transportation Ministry Permanent Secretary Engr. Funso Adebiyi, recently inspected both projects.
The team reviewed construction quality, including track alignment, drainage, embankment protection, stone pitching and soil stabilization.
Inspectors also took a test run from Jaji in Kaduna State to Kano, assessing the completed track and passenger facilities.
The completed 190-kilometre Jaji–Kano section of the 205-kilometre Kaduna–Kano project, along with the 250-kilometre Dawanu–Kano–Kazaure–Daura–Katsina section of the Kano–Maradi line, Alake noted is scheduled for inauguration on December 3.
Minister said in the statement that President Tinubu has ordered the immediate resolution of outstanding land-acquisition and compensation issues in Kaduna metropolis to keep the Abuja–Kano rail corridor on schedule.
NewsQuest reports that President Tinubu’s administration says it remains committed to delivering infrastructure projects across the country as planned.
