Nigeria on rails again

One of Nigeria’s most reliable means of transportation in which goods and services were transported between Port-Harcourt and Maiduguri, Lagos to Kano cutting across so many states of the federation, cheap and yet very safe and reliable, was the train. Though it was the locomotive type that specializes in moving goods, passengers’ coaches were there […]

One of Nigeria’s most reliable means of transportation in which goods and services were transported between Port-Harcourt and Maiduguri, Lagos to Kano cutting across so many states of the federation, cheap and yet very safe and reliable, was the train. Though it was the locomotive type that specializes in moving goods, passengers’ coaches were there for the movement of all classes of people to railway towns like Enugu, Makurdi, Bauchi, Gombe, Ibadan, Minna, Kaduna and the rest.
Before the collapse of the railway system in the 90s, students going to and from school, workers going on transfer, businessmen moving large consignments of goods, petroleum products, livestock, agricultural produce , and most of the goods that trucks now carry and occupy the highways ,were being  transported by rail across the country.
The   pressure put on Nigeria’s  highway, especially by trucks and other heavy duty vehicles ,causing per minute accidents and congestion, is generally blamed on the collapse of the railway system  which  has the ability to carry over one hundred truck   load of goods ,with hundreds of passengers on a stretch that tens of luxury buses could have been used to convey.
Noting the vital role of the railway service to the economy of the country, the late Umaru Musa Yar’adua’s  administration commenced the total rehabilitation of the existing narrow gauge railway line, and initiated the construction of a standard gauge track for fast trains from Kano, Kaduna, Abuja, Minna, Ibadan and Lagos, for the conveyance of passengers.
Briefing newsmen on the intention of government to construct the standard gauge railway line, former transport minister in whose tenure the project was conceived, Alhaji Ibrahim Isa Bio , said the project when completed is not only expected to provide a modern railway system, but it is  also aimed at decongesting Abuja and Lagos,  by providing  an avenue for people living in the two cities to relocate to some railway towns and villages ,and be using the trains to travel to the cities to work and return back to the villages to live.
Alhaji Bio also said for the avoidance of the usual case of abandoned government project, the contract will be executed in segments starting from Kaduna to Abuja ,due to the capital intensive nature of the project. He said the second segment will be the Lagos to Ibadan, followed by Minna to Abuja ,targeting the decongestion of the two towns.
Flagging off the track laying of the Abuja to Kaduna segment from Idu near Abuja on July 4, Vice President Namadi  Sambo said the contract for the survey, design, construction and maintenance for 5 years for the double track with a distance of 1,315 kilometers was awarded to Messrs China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) at a contract sum of $8 billion.
He said the contract is expected to be completed within four years, adding, “Consultancy service for the project was awarded to Messrs TEAM Nigeria Limited (an Italian firm) at a contract price of $240 million which is approximately 2.89 percent of the contract price.
 “A Presidential committee finally came up with a recommendation to structure the project into six segments and execute same independently on ‘stand alone’ basis, commencing with the Abuja (Idu) to Kaduna Addendum 1,  and Lagos to Ibadan Addendum 2 segments. The other segments are Ibadan to Ilorin 200 kilometers, Ilorin to Minna 270 kilometers, Minna to Abuja 145 kilometers and Minna to Kano 360 kilometers.
“Arising from the segmentation of the projects as highlighted, the Federal Government signed the contracts for Abuja (Idu) to Kaduna in December, 2010 in the sum of $874,308,704.00 with a completion period of 36 months, and that of Lagos to Ibadan in August, 2012 in the sum of $1,487,782,196 with a completion period of 48 months respectively. Furthermore, the Federal Ministry of Finance successfully negotiated and secured a concessionary loan of $500 million from the Chinese government to part finance the Abuja (Idu) to Kaduna segment,” he said.
He said to ensure that government did not fail again in financing the project, the Subsidy Re-investment Program (SURE-P) will  complete the envisaged financing gap so as to meet the counterpart funding of the project which he said the SURE-P intervention is making impact.

He said the federal government is also negotiating for another concessionary loan from China to finance the Lagos to Ibadan segment of the project ,assuring that when completed, the Nigerian rail system will be privatized to ensure efficiency.     Earlier in his address at the occasion, transport minister, Senator Idris Umar , said the earthworks for the Abuja to Kaduna standard gauge has reached 92 percent completion, while the hydraulic structures that include the concrete drains and culverts have attained 87 percent completion , just as 17 of the 24 Bridges to be constructed along the line have been completed.
“The ministry  hopes to initiate during the course of this year,  feasibility studies for five new standard gauge rail lines as follows; Port-Harcourt to Aba, Umuahia, Enugu, Makurdi, Lafiya, Kuru, Bauchi, Gombe, Biu to Maiduguri. Ogoja to Katsina Ala, Wukari, Jalingo, Yola to Maiduguri. Kano to Nguru, Gashua to Gamborun Ngala. Kano to Katsina to Jibiya. Illelah to Sokoto, Jega, Yauri, Makera, Kontagora to Minna,” he said.
Senator Idris said, “When completed and operational, it will be possible for people to stay in Kaduna and use the train services to come to work in Abuja on a daily basis. The project also has multiplier effect of reducing traffic congestion on our roads ,and would equally reduce the demand for residential accommodation in Abuja,” he said.
Some of the people that spoke to this reporter on the project corroborated the minister’s view when Adamu Saleh ,a commercial driver in Abuja, said when the rail project is completed and put to use, “I will relocate to one of the villages along the rail line and settle down there. I will get a farm and be cultivating vegetables that I will be bringing to Abuja daily and sell. That will be better than this one I am suffering with little to show,” he said.
Abdullahi Zaria, a judicial worker in the FCT said he will also relocate to one of the villages along the rail line, adding, “I lived in Utako where I am paying N420,000 for the single room I am occupying per annum. When I relocate to the village, I will buy a land of about N50,000 and erect a structure there to live in. I will be coming to work with the train every morning, and go back in the evening. That way I will save a lot,” he said.
The project consultants, TEAM Nigeria assured that the project will be excellently executed due to the most modern system the contractors, CCECC are using. The Commercial Manager of TEAM Nigeria, Mr. Andrea Orecchini said Team Nigeria is a Nigerian Company founded in 1974 in Nigeria by Italian entrepreneurs which today is part of an international Group with head quarters  in Italy.
He said the company has provided consultancy services to several Governments, various International Organizations and prime international Firms, both in Nigeria and all over the world, and particularly has been consultant for railway matters and projects in Nigeria, for over 30 years.
“Team Nigeria Limited is providing consultancy for the Lagos-Kano standard modernization,  a project co-financed by the Chinese government and awarded to the contractor China Civil Engineering and Construction Company (CCECC) which is currently working together with TEAM Nigeria, at the ongoing first segment Idu-Kaduna,” he said.
The Italian Ambassador, Roberto Colaminé was present at the Ceremony to mark the importance the Italian government attaches to the Italian technical contribution, for the progress of the project.
Orocchini said, “Consultancy is often something which may not be evident for someone being not familiar with the construction  market, but it represents the brain and eye of the Client to run a project with high quality standards and contained costs. If the contractor represents the hardware of the project, the consultant is the software.”