The Senate and House of Representatives Joint Committees on Land and Marine Transport have protested against the proposal of the Minister of Transport, Chibuike Ameachi, to construct a standard gauge for the Kano-Maradi rail line while an old narrow gauge was planned for other parts of Nigeria.
The Chairman of Senate Committee on Marine Transport, Senator Danjuma Goje, and House Committee Chairman, Mr Pat Asadu, kicked against what they described as marginalisation of other regions of the country in the rail line construction. Both Chairmen asked the minister why he was not constructing uniform rail lines across the country.
The Chairman, Committee on Port, Pat Asadu, who opened the floor after the minister presented the budget to the committee, specifically asked why he was constructing modern rail line in one place and old rail lines in other parts of the country.
“Looking at your key railway projects which you’ve highlighted, I think they are worth the spend:
“We are now looking at the difference between project D which is the construction of 284 kilometers Nigeria-Maradi railway standard world class line against Project C where you talked about the total rehabilitation and reconstruction of Port Harcourt to Maiduguri eastern rail network defined as narrow gauge.
“For a segment of this country that is known for trade and commerce, they need railway as they need air.
“Why is the ministry doing a 287 kilometers of railway track from Kano to Maradi that you will fund with Nigerian money borrowed for Nigerians to be paid by our children to do a world class railway to Maradi.
“I also know the economy of Niger Republic and I believe the economy of the South-East is bigger than that of Maradi. I am not even talking of South-South.
“So what policy guide, what needs assessment, what study of federal character integration would make the Ministry of Transportation to put 284 kilometers railway from the end of the North to Maradi and then constructing a narrow gauge in the South-East and South-South?
“This to me is why the integration of this country will always be challenged because things are done with so much impunity. This is our commonwealth.
“So if we approve this budget for you, you will go and do Kano-Maradi standard rail line and do a narrow gauge rehabilitation for the South-East. My heart bleeds.
“Instead of doing the right thing, you are now giving us this one as what will enhance the economy of Niger and Nigeria, while the economy of Nigerians especially those who have the containers and who are always on the road are given a narrow gauge rehabilitation.”
But Amaechi, while presenting a total capital budget of N147, 931, 691, 294, and overhead of N 358, 799, 998, as the 2022 Budget proposal of the Federal Ministry of Transportation to the Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on Land and Marine Transport explained that Kano-Maradi was not borne out of his personal ambition but rather a survey which had been carried out by previous administrations and government being a continuum, he only deemed it fit to implement the plan taking into consideration the viability of the project when completed.
Besides, he further explained that the rail linkage that gets to Maradi is only 20 kilometres
On the issue of why the Eastern rail line was narrow gauge and not standard gauge, the Minister explained that he had two approvals from President Muhammadu Buhari for narrow gauge and standard gauge. But since getting the money to reconstruct the narrow gauge is easier, it made economic sense to connect the whole country by narrow gauge while still sourcing for funds to do the standard gauge.
Furthermore, the Minister expressed that the main difference between the narrow gauge and the standard gauge was merely speed. While the former does 100 km/h, the latter does 120 km/h.