Part of the strategies of the Federal Government to get Nigeria out of recession is to invest in transport infrastructure to enhance the movement of goods, services and human capital across the country.
To this end, the Federal Government has approved $1.2 billion for the construction of the Kano-Kaduna standard gauge railway project. The Minister of Transport, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, disclosed this in Kano on Saturday when he visited Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje, adding that the Federal Government was negotiating with China EXIM bank to finance the project.
“We are negotiating with China EXIM bank and we are convince that this negotiation will end by June,” the minister said.
The minister said that the Federal Government would provide about 100 locomotives for narrow gauge rail that would run through Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt, Funtua and Gombe to improve the economy.
“Before the end of June Lagos-Kano narrow gauge rail would have more locomotives that would run through Lagos, Port Harcourt, Funtua, Kano and Gombe states in order to boost the economy,” he said.
Amaechi, however, thanked the governor for his efforts and the role he played during the last National Assembly election in Rivers where the party won one senatorial seat and four House of representative seats.
Responding, Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje, expressed his happiness and commended the president for fulfilling campaign promise.
He said that Kano-Kaduna standard rail project would save the road from total collapse.
Ganduje said that the state government recently signed a $1.8 billion Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a Chinese firm to construct light rail in the state capital.
