Senate probes loans, railway projects executed under Buhari

The Senate has launched an investigation into the persistent derailments on Nigeria’s rail lines and the contracts, funding, and implementation of railway projects executed during former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. An ad hoc committee chaired by Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) was constituted to carry out the probe and submit its report within four […]

The Senate has launched an investigation into the persistent derailments on Nigeria’s rail lines and the contracts, funding, and implementation of railway projects executed during former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

An ad hoc committee chaired by Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) was constituted to carry out the probe and submit its report within four weeks.

The motion, sponsored by Senator Ede Dafinone (APC, Delta Central), followed repeated technical breakdowns on the Itakpe–Warri rail corridor.

Dafinone expressed concern that the line, inaugurated only a few years ago, has suffered over 10 derailments and multiple mechanical failures between 2023 and 2025, posing grave risks to passengers and eroding public trust.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio expressed outrage over the state of the infrastructure, accusing those who supervised the projects under Buhari of “incompetence and deceit.”

He questioned how rail projects costing “trillions of naira” could fail within months of commissioning, likening the situation to “refurbished scraps repainted as new.”

The Senate directed the Ministry of Transportation and NRC to immediately repair the Itakpe–Warri line, enhance safety standards, and deploy additional rolling stock.

It also resolved to probe all railway projects executed under Buhari — including funding sources, contract awards, and standards — while establishing a National Rail Safety and Standards Unit.