Reviving Nigeria’s railways: Any success so far?

Observers recall that rail transportation in Nigeria dates back to the pre-independence era, as the British colonialists then developed a reliable railway with rail tracks connecting the western and eastern parts of the country to the north. However, the country’s rail transportation system nosedived in the early 1970s as road transportation took over as the […]

Observers recall that rail transportation in Nigeria dates back to the pre-independence era, as the British colonialists then developed a reliable railway with rail tracks connecting the western and eastern parts of the country to the north.

However, the country’s rail transportation system nosedived in the early 1970s as road transportation took over as the major mode of transport.

Some observers opine that road haulage companies operating in the country surreptitiously plotted the collapse of the railways as part of their Machiavellian tactics to boost their business.

Such viewpoints appear outlandish and difficult to verify but from all indications, Nigeria’s rail transportation system has since been in a state of comatose and the situation has been a source of concern to the federal government.

For instance, the Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku, bemoaned the state of the country’s railways at a recent ministerial briefing by the Federal Ministry of Transport in Abuja.

The minister lamented that the state of rail transportation in Nigeria was a “national shame’’, stressing that since the country’s independence in 1960, insignificant efforts had been made to modernise the rail system.

Maku cited India as one of several countries which relied heavily on rail transportation for the haulage of goods and passengers.

He said that the federal government has been making decisive efforts to revamp rail transportation and other modes of transportation in the country.

“Today, President Goodluck Jonathan has moved the railways and other modes of transportation system forward. We may not have reached the point of clapping hands over the rail system but a lot of commitment is being made,’’ he said.

The minister’s comments are obviously not mere ego massage, as observers note that the current federal administration has shown considerable determination to resuscitate the moribund Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), as part of renewed efforts to develop rail transportation.

Observers commend the late President Umaru Yar’adua and the former Minister of Transport, Alhaji Ibrahim Bio, for fast-tracking the modernisation of the railways and for efforts to link the country’s major seaports, economic zones and state capitals via the rail network.

Going from the general to the specific, the Minister of Transport, Alhaji Yusuf Suleiman, said at the ministerial briefing that as at December 2010, the federal government had invested substantially in the rehabilitation of the existing narrow-gauge rail tracks.

Suleiman said that the government had purchased some locomotives while refurbishing some of the existing locomotives and rolling stocks.

He also said that the signals and communications infrastructure of the NRC has also been upgraded.

Apparently, the government’s efforts have started to yield some fruits, as the feats were epitomised by the symbolic train ride of President Jonathan to Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, on Saturday, March 12.

Suleiman gave the assurance that by the end of March, the Lagos-Jebba segment of the country’s rail network would have been fully rehabilitated and ready for use.

The rehabilitation of the Lagos-Jebba rail track was said to have cost the federal government over N12 billion.

However, experts note that the collapsed bridge at Akerri, Niger State, is posing a major challenge to the rehabilitation of the Jebba-Kano rail track.

The experts also note that the federal government has opted for the implementation, of a single-track, standard-gauge rail track project in the country, which will be executed in stages.

The federal government has approved for immediate implementation the rehabilitation of the Lagos-Kano rail line and the construction of the Abuja-Kaduna rail track which covers 187 kilometres.

Suleiman also said that the rehabilitation of the Lagos-Ibadan rail track was also being pursued vigorously.

Besides, the Federal Ministry of Transport is also working with the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and other stakeholders to develop a sound concession plan for the railways.

The minister said that plans were underway to put in place, a concession arrangement for the existing narrow-gauge rail network linking Port Harcourt with Maiduguri, including the Kaduna-Kanfanchan axis.

The concession plans will also involve the Lagos-Kano rail line and the Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri line.

Suleiman said that the revival of rail transportation in the country was well on course, adding that the NRC has also trained some engineers in diesel locomotives technology and rail track management in South Africa.

Besides, the minister said that the ministry was making efforts to attract potential investors from Europe and Asia to invest in the construction of rail lines to the seaports in Tin-Can Island, Onne, Calabar, Koko and Warri, in addition to some river ports.

Plans are also underway to construct rail lines to link the six Inland Container Depots (ICDs), while new lines will be laid to link airports in Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Maiduguri, Kaduna, Jos, Minna, Ilorin and Ibadan.

Besides, there are plans to construct the Lagos-Abuja rail line to facilitate haulage of goods and movement of passengers along the corridor.

The federal government also intends to construct intra or inter-city light train rails to connect Iddo, Alagbado, Ifo, Sango, Otta, Lagos Island, Orile, Badagry and Seme.

These are some of the major areas of activities identified for potential investors under the government’s “Build, Operate and Transfer’’ (BOT) and “Build Operate and Own’’ (BOO) arrangements.

Observers commend the federal government and the NRC’s management team, headed by its Managing Director, Mr Adeseyi Sijuwade, for their laudable efforts towards the resuscitation and repositioning of the NRC for effective service delivery.

Mr Akin Oluwafemi, a lawyer, says that the government is not paying lip service to the need to put in place effective and efficient rail transportation in the country.

“All things being equal, we will soon be able to relive the good old days when it was always thrilling to travel by train,’’ he says.

“The socio-economic life of Nigeria stands to gain a lot from a revamped railway system that plays appreciable roles in the movement of goods and people across the country,’’ he adds.

Although it is not yet uhuru, observers, nonetheless, say that the prospects for the Nigerian railways are quite bright.

(NANFeatures).