President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed Vice President Kashim Shetima to engage with the Chinese President on a bilateral discussion to finance the Ibadan-Abuja standard gauge railway project.

The Minister of Transportation Sa’id Alkali disclosed this during an inspection tour of the Kaduna-Kano railway project alongside members of the Joint Committee on Land Transport of the National Assembly.

He said although the Chinese government has released the $ 1.2 billion funding for the Kaduna-Kano standard gauge rail line, they are still trying to cascade the final stage for the drawdown of the loan.

Since the project commenced in 2021, the federal government has committed $380million as a counterpart fund, to enable the contractor, China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) mobilize to the site, unfortunately, the work has been going at a slow pace given that China Exim bank had not released the funds for the project

However, after the Chinese Exim Bank’s withdrawal, the China Development Bank (CDB) was announced as the new financier for the Kaduna-Kano railway modernization project in April 2023.

The Minister who took a tour of the project from Kano-Markarfi told journalists that the President is desirous of ensuring that the railway projects are completed and being put into use, given that transportation is an enabler of economic growth and a gateway to the nation’s economy.

Speaking on the increased vandalization of rail tracks by criminals, Alkali assured that the Ministry and Nigerian Railway Cooperation (NRC) are working hard to ensure that these vandals do not destroy properties.

He disclosed “We are deploying so many major surveillance in conjunction with the security agencies to ensure that these properties are not allowed to be vandalized.”

The Chairman Senate Committee on Land Transport Mr Adamu Ailero said the inspection by the joint committee of both the Senate and the House of Representatives commended the Ministry of Transportation for their dedication to ensuring the Kano-Kaduna rail project is completed by 2025-2026.

Lamenting the paucity of funds for the completion of the project, Ailero disclosed plans to discuss with the Debt Management Office (DMO), the Minister of Finance, the Attorney General of the Federation, and also the Minister of Transportation to fast-track the financing arrangement for the project.

The Senate Committee Chairman also assured to lobby his colleagues in the National Assembly to ensure that the project does not suffer from inadequate funding, asserting that an efficient railway system would help reduce inflation in the country.

A member of the House of Representatives Mrs Blessing Onuh expressed concerns over the vandalization of railway tracks and disclosed plans by the National Assembly to review the contract such that installation of anti-theft mechanisms to stop people or vandals from vandalizing rail tracks will be factored into the contract documents.