The Senate and House of Representatives Joint Committees on Land and Marine Transport have opposed 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 lawmakers expressed their displeasure while Amaechi presented the 2022 budget proposal of his ministry before the Joint National Assembly Committee.
While presenting the budget, Amaechi said the construction of the Nigeria-Maradi (Niger Republic) standard gauge rail line will promote trade and commerce between the countries.
Chairman of Senate Committee on Marine Transport, Senator Danjuma Goje, and House Committee Chairman, Mr Pat Asadu, kicked against the marginalisation of other regions of the country in the rail line construction.
Both Chairmen queried 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.
He asked, “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 need 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.”
In response, Amaechi the construction of the $1.3bn Kano-Maradi rail, Ameachi said the project was not based on sentiments but economic benefits for the country.
