FG Is Not Building Rail Line To Niger Republic – Garba Shehu

The Federal Government of Nigeria is not building a railway line to Niger. Instead, they are building a railway that will terminate at the border point to Niger.

Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity to the Muhammadu Buhari, made this clarification in a facebook post.

Recall that the President Mohammadu Buhari-led Government on Wednesday approved $1,959,744,723.71 for the construction of a rail line. This railway line would link Nigeria to the Niger Republic. 

The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, revealed this to newsmen at the end of the meeting. He said that the sum approved is for the development of the proposed rail line. The line would link the Niger Republic. The line would also connect Kano-Dutse-Katsina-Jibia and to Maradi in the neighbouring Niger Republic.

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According to him, “An agreement between Nigeria and Niger in 2015, coordinated by the Nigeria-Niger Joint Commission for Cooperation has a plan for “Kano-Katsina-Maradi Corridor Master Plan, (K2M)” as it is called.

“Going by this, the two nations would each build a rail track to meet at the border point town of Maradi.

He stated further, “Nigerian delegates to that meeting comprised officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Boundaries Commission, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Water Resources as well as those of Kano and Katsina states.

“The objective of the rail is the harnessing of raw materials, mineral resources and agricultural produce. When completed, it will serve domestic industries and play the role of a a viable transportation backbone to the West African subregion, starting with the neighboring Niger Republic for their export and import logistic chain”, Garba Shehu wrote.

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