Critics who carpeted the Katsina-Maradi rail as a wrong-headed project argued that it would drain the nation of scarce resources that could have been ploughed to more productive use. But ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE and FAITH YAHAYA, who witnessed the ground-breaking event last Tuesday, report that contrary to their claims, the project when completed, will reposition the economy.

Katsina State last week witnessed an unusual throng of people that could be mistaken for a mega rally by the ruling party.

The venue of the event was filled with people of various status and age. Ministers, governors, leaders of the national and state assemblies, traditional rulers, delegates from a neighbouring country, Niger Republic, converged on the state.

The atmosphere was convivial. The people defied some of the COVID-19 protocols to witness the event. Contrary to what many people thought, it was not a political gathering; rather, it was a ceremony to commence an infrastructural development, which the state Governor, Aminu Masari, described as ‘long awaited’.

According to him, there had been a rumour that a rail line would pass through Katsina, but it remained a so as it never came to a reality despite having influential people from the state who could make it happen.

Several years after, however, the rumour has  become reality with the groundbreaking ceremony of the Kano-Katsina-Jibya-Maradi with a branch line in the Dutse-Jigawa railway project. With the take off of this project, it will not be out of place to say the administration is in line with its consistent talks and intention of linking each state of the country through rail. It was the turn of Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states and, of course, the neighbouring country, the Niger Republic last week.

Nigeria has been used to contracting its infrastructural projects to a Chinese construction firm and other multinational construction companies with presence in the country, but this time around, the project would not be handled by any of the familiar firms.

Rather, it would be handled by a Portuguese firm, Mota Engil Group, a multinational engineering and construction firm for $1.959billion. In addition to the project, the firm also hinted that it would construct a multidisciplinary institution for the country as part of its corporate social responsibility.

Highlighting the economic importance of the project when completed, President Muhammadu Buhari, who joined the ceremony online, said the project would serve 80million Nigerians and boost trade volume between Nigeria and other adjoining countries.

The president said: “This vital infrastructure line will establish an end-to-end logistic supply chain in railway transport services between Northern and Southern regions of the country, reaching Nigerian southern ports of Lagos and Warri.         The entire route encompasses territory inhabited by close to 80 million people across 10 states of the country. This project has a branch line to Dutse, the capital of Jigawa State to open up this corridor which is endowed with vast resources.

“The Kano-Maradi rail line has been identified as a viable line that will significantly enhance the movement of passengers and freight to the hinterland, especially raw materials from both agricultural and mineral resources for our industries.  The project, when completed, would serve the import and export of goods for Niger Republic and other countries in the sub-region through Nigerian ports. The country would earn revenue through expansion of trade and commerce, while the people of Niger Republic will benefit from the ease of transportation logistics at affordable cost in their import and export business. The connection to Niger Republic, through rail, will also foster Trans-Sahara trade and contribute to the expected gains in the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement.”

Buhari also expressed optimism that when transportation infrastructure are realised, the country would overcome the infrastructural deficiency in the transport sector as businesses will be able to take full advantage of the availability of an affordable and effective transportation.

Giving an insight into how the project came about and debunking the notion that the project was approved because the president was from Katsina State, the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, said the preliminary studies for the Kano-Maradi railway route commenced in  2012 before the All Progressives Congress (APC) took over power.

He also said the route has the capacity to process over 9000 passengers, when completed.

According to him: “Studies started in 2012 and by 2015, the Ministry had concluded the Feasibility studies of this route from Kano to Maradi and produced an Outline Business Case that attested to the high viability of this corridor for railway transportation and was, therefore, listed among other prioritised railway and railway-related projects.

“The scope of this project has its corridor within Kano, Katsina, Jigawa states and a 25-Km extension into the Niger Republic involves the construction of a single track standard gauge rail line with an alignment of approximately 284Km traversing Kano-Dambatta-Kazaure-Shargelle-Mashi-Daura-Katsina-Jibiya-Maradi and a 94-Km branch line from Kano to Dutse, the capital of Jigawa State.

“The entire network of this project has 15 railway stations of different categories with major stations of approximately 3,000 peak passenger capacity in cities of Kano and Katsina and stations of standard category in Kazaure, Daura, Jibiya and Dutse and minor stations in Dambatta, Shargelle and Mashi as well as halt stations in Kunya, Kano airport, Muduru, Dadara and in the Niger Republic at Annol Mata and Maradi.”

He added that the rail line is also provided with accessories and special installations including power and water supply schemes, signalling system and communication in GSM-railway, freight yards, rolling stock depots and maintenance workshops.

On the traffic the corridor is envisaged to witness, Amaechi said: “This project will reach a substantial completion in 2023 when it will be ready to handle passenger and freight daily traffic forecast of 9,364 passengers and approximately 3,000 metric tons of freight on return trips between Kano and Maradi. There is no doubt that this route when linked with the ongoing Lagos-Kano railway project on completion, will generate higher traffic volumes and revenue.”

Administrative Officer of Mota Engil Africa, Emmanuel Mota said the firm’s presence in about 40 countries and its 75 years of existence indicates its integrity and passion to deliver quality service. He said: “The project is an opportunity to unlock the trade between the north and south, the region and even the hinterland countries. It is a project that is going to bring economic development and prosperity to the region.

“We have been developing projects across the continent for the past 75 years, we are currently present in more than 40 countries and this will be our landmark project in the country and in the continent. Many times, they like to consider us a Portuguese company but since the establishment of the group, my grandfather and father have taught me that in Portugal, we are Portuguese and we are nationals of the countries we work in. So, in Nigeria, we are Nigerians, in Niger, we are Nigeriens as well as in Mexico, we will be Mexicans. So, as we are in Nigeria, we are Nigerians for many years to come.

“We thank the president and the minister of transportation for giving us this opportunity, we thank other ministries involved in this project and we can guarantee that we will conclude this project on time and on budget with great success for both countries involved.

The governor of Katsina State, Aminu Masari said the commencement of the project was long-awaited and a dream come true. He said the hopes of having a railway in the state was dashed on two occasions in the past, adding that the state was sceptical when the news of a railway passing through the state was heard. He, however, appreciated that president and the minister for making their dreams finally come to pass. His words: “Our thanks and appreciation goes to our dear president, Muhammadu Buhari who by the grace of Allah is completing this internationally known economic corridor of Lagos, Kano, Jibya and going to Maradi in the Niger Republic. The story of the railway coming to Katsina has been very old. I could remember there was a time the Late Alhaji Abdulkadir was the chairman of Nigerian Railways, there were rumours about railways coming to katsina and later my boss, Alhaji Saidu Barda, the first civilian governor, when he was federal permanent secretary in the ministry of transport, the issue was again raised. So, when the issue was raised this time, people were a bit sceptical because of the previous stories and hopes that the railway will eventually come to Katsina. We thank Allah that today, it has come to pass and the honour and glory goes to President Muhammadu Buhari who approved this project and also the minister of transportation for facilitating this landmark, historical project.

“I think those of us in the appointive office today especially those of us from Katsina, for us this day, we are more than happy because history is being made during our time and I hope and appeal to the Ministry of transport and contractor to fulfil the statement made by the Minister of Transportation that if not all, a substantial part of this project will be completed before the end of the tenure of 2023.” It is hoped that this administration would match words with action and link most states of the country via rail before its tenure expires.

Transportation witnessed a major boost with the launch of speed train, writes ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE

The transportation sector operated for most part of the year below optimal capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But despite the fear of a resurgence and a second wave of the pandemic, the launch of Lot II, known as the Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge, came with bright prospects.

From its take-off in October 2017, the pace of work had been appreciative. Given that the Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri line, which was the nation’s first standard gauge, was delivered after 35 years, and the second, from Abuja to Kaduna, took 12 years, the best of cynics had written the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge off, as another white Elephant project by the Buhari administration.

The take-off of commercial activity was to clear the fog that the standard gauge was not a phantom project. Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi had been at the vanguard of changing the nation’s transportation narrative. By December, the only feature remaining on the project was the delivery of the stations.

Meanwhile, criticism also seems to be changing. The issue is no longer whether the government can deliver on the project, the criticism has shifted to the fares, which many considered “too unfriendly to the masses’’.

Amaechi, earlier in the month, had announced a range of fare ranging from N3000, economy class, to N5,000, business class and N6,000, first class. However, when the service eventually took-off, the government slashed the economy class to N2500. Amaechi has foreclosed a further review of the fares.

Buttressing the Minister’s position, the Nigerian Railway Corporation’s Managing Director Fidet Okhiria said the service was affordable to many. According to him, the service would continue to run. He said more coaches would be deployed to the train tracks as passenger volume increases.

“Two luxury coaches would be put on the tracks, while the frequency will increase to two, as soon as the passenger traffic increases,” Okhiria said.

Okhiria said the frequency of trips would also affect the movement timetable, which runs one return leg from Ibadan to Lagos. The train leaves Ibadan 8am and departs Lagos back to Ibadan at 4pm.

He said 15 Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) locomotives and 25 wagon locomotives had been ordered, while wagons and coaches of various categories had been ordered by the Federal Government to be deployed on the route once it begins commercial operations.

The rail is also seen as the game changer in the maritime sector. The government sees rail as the solution to the traffic gridlock at Apapa and by extension, Lagos. Government has already given a marching order to the APMT to work its operations round the contractor in bringing the tracks into the port area for seamless haulage operations.

An active train system in the ports would expand the port’s potential as the cash cow of the nation’s economy.

Not only has the sub-sector domesticated the Executive Order 5, which focuses on the ease of doing business at the ports, it is preparing all agencies of government in the sector to gear up and police the nation’s waterways and national assets in order to deliver more funds to the coffers.

Despite the huge funding gaps, there has also been so much going on, on the inland waterways. One of beautiful interventions was the provision of water ambulances to prevent deaths in the event of accidents on the waterways.

The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) embarked on aggressive enlightenment to drive home safety tips and voluntary compliance with waterways regulations by all operators.

But, perhaps, more significant was the readiness of NIWA to begin the operation of its strategic inland ports, such as the Baro River Port in Niger State, the flagship port in the North, which despite the huge investments, were rendered unusable by lack of motorable roads to connect the inland port.

NIWA also improved its partnership with other states with effectiveness as the regulator on the waterways.

State of roads

Nigeria has 108,000 km of surfaced roads as at 1990. It is home to the largest road network in West Africa and second largest, south of the Sahara. Since independence, the country has been battling dilapidated and decaying road infrastructure. The Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, for instance remains jaded, with the contractor announcing a new date of 2022 as completion date for the repair works on this critical road.

The government approved about N134 billion in 2018 to accommodate more features on some sections of this critical road. The repairs started in 2000.  At the last count over 150 highways, 66 interstate roads and 45 bridges scattered across 34 states, are in various stages of completion.

The Minister of Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola had caused a stir last year, when he said the 2020 allocation could not even pay outstanding debts owed contractors. He canvassed tolling some critical roads.

Southeast and Southsouth remained zones with the worst road profile, according to statistics  by the FMWH. The story has hardly changed as the year winds down.

Fashola believesd the administration was doing so much with much less, underscoring the regime’s penchant for prudence in the public sector. But Nigerians seem not to see yet the gains of such frugal spending on critical roads.

Enabling laws

Despite its efforts, the Eighth Assembly could not deliver on any of the six bills that could have strengthened the transportation industry. The Ninth Assembly is yet to begin work on all the bills for the sector. One of such bills was the bill seeking to repeal the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) for a Federal Roads Authority, which passed second reading at the Eighth Senate.

Other such bills still hanging are: the Nigerian Railway Corporation (Act 1955) Amendment Bill, the Nigeria Transportation Commission Bill, which seeks to establish a regulator for the transportation sector, the Nigerian Shippers Council Amendment Bill, and the Nigeria Ports Authority Amendment Bill.

With over 80 percent of travels recorded on the roads, the Lagos State Government says the time has come to push other alternatives before travelling publics, writes ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE

Lagos State has a peculiar charm that keeps its economy bubbly – population. But that charm has also become its albatross, as the state has become stressful and road traffic a daily nightmare.

In its golden days, it was fun to hear – Lagos never sleeps.

Today, such epithet no longer speaks of the state’s eclectic social life. It has become the people’s reality, as more people practically sleep on the roads. Statistics come handy here.The average time spent on Lagos’ roads these days ranges from five to six hours. Traffic have grown from bad, to worse, and then, to a nightmare.

But experts said transportation blues in the state arose out of the state’s almost exclusive reliance on road mode of transportation.                                                                                Lagos State’vehicle density towers above the national average. Vehicle density in Lagos is put at 231 vehicles per kilometre, while the state has just 9,000 kilometres of roads.

A recent estimate by the state’s Bureau of Statistics says between 10 and 12 million passengers ply the Lagos roads daily, using buses, cars, taxis, tricycles or bicycles, while its waterways, which stretched about 4,000 kms could only account for 0.02 percent of its daily passenger travels count.

The situation has left the state in the firm grip of traffic nightmare leading to staggering 1.2 billion man-hour loss yearly.

To demonstrate its capacity to tackle the crisis inherited from his predecessor headlong, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy Gbenga Omotoso said the Babajide Sanwo-Olu Administration made transportation and traffic control a pillar of its THEMES Agenda and introduced several initiatives aimed at improving travel experience and absorb more vehicles.

The Fifth Lagos Traffic Radio, which held last week, was another opportunity to x-ray the various initiatives being deployed in making travel experience more enjoyable.

These include the diversification and promotion of other modes of transportation, especially water transportation, and leveraging its comparative advantage on water.

Other initiatives include investment in red/blue light rail, to improve mass transportation, improvements in the quality of roads and removal of roundabouts for signalisation to remove traffic jams, introduction of tech-driven enforcement of road infractions. Citizens are expected to obey traffic control laws, even as the government said it would use transport associations to strengthen enforcement compliance and control mechanism among public sector transport operators.

Also, the Commissioner for Transportation Dr Frederic Oladeinde said some of the initiatives have started yielding positive results resulting in improved travel experience.

Speaking on the Lagos Traffic Law Enforcement: The technology dynamics of new normal, Oladeinde said: “Concerted efforts have been made right from the inception by this administration to integrate technological innovations and dynamics into the traffic management apparatus of the state.’’

Such initiatives, according to him, include the introduction of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), and the Computerised Vehicle Inspection Services (LACVIS), the latter of which has reduced vehicle breakdowns, a major contributor to traffic gridlock.

Reiterating the same argument at the Lagos Transport Fest, also last week, Oladeinde said technology remains the only way to resolve the endemic transportation challenges of Lagos as a Smart City.

He announced plans to install 2,000 CCTV cameras across the state to monitor traffic congestion, complement the efforts of traffic managers, and combat the menace of traffic offenders on Lagos roads.

Oladeinde added that in the coming weeks, about 1,000 hand-held cameras would be distributed to personnel of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority  (LASTMA) to enable them document their operations and ensure proper sanctions to offenders of the state traffic laws.

The commissioner said the government is also working to reduce human contact at the point of vehicle documentations, registration and licensing, adding that 57 more LAVICS centres would be established across the state to enable motorists’ key into the zero tolerance for rickety vehicles on the roads.

It was at the event in which the Deputy Governor Dr Obafemi Hamzat commended the Traffic Radio for living up to the mandates of its founding fathers as a go-to-station for traffic advisory and one which has been assisting residents enjoy hitch-free movement across the metropolis.

He urged residents to tune in to the station to plan their journey daily to avoid loss of valuable man-hour to traffic congestion.

Traffic Radio General Manager Mr Tayo Akanle pledged the station’s commitment to continue to provide timely, accurate, reliable and objective traffic report and advisory to the public.

He said the station has embarked on some initiatives aimed at getting timely real-time reports as it breaks to the homes of its listeners across the state.