Buhari Flags Off $1.9bn Nigeria To Niger Rail Line

• President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday presided over the groundbreaking virtual ceremony of the rail line to connect Nigeria and Niger.
• He said the project is expected to achieve an appreciable completion level during the tenure of this administration.

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On Tuesday, President Muhammadu Buhari presided over the groundbreaking virtual ceremony of the rail line to connect Nigeria and Niger.

The rail project will link Kano-Katsina to Jibiya-Maradi.

In his remarks, Buhari directed the Ministries of Transportation and Finance to conclude financial arrangements for constructing the West-East Coastal rail line from Lagos to Calabar.

He said the West-East Coastal rail line would connect Onitsha, Benin, Warri, Yenagoa, Port Harcourt, Aba, and Uyo.

Buhari confirmed that the Central Railway traversing Itakpe-Baro-Abuja with connection to Lokoja and a new seaport in Warri had been signed.

He said the project is expected to achieve an appreciable completion level during the tenure of this administration.

The President noted that Jibiya and Maradi constitute a significant trading core between Nigeria and the Niger Republic.

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Buhari pointed out that the entire route encompasses territory inhabited by close to 80 million people across ten states.

The Nigerian leader said the Kano-Maradi project, when completed, would serve import and export of goods for the Niger Republic and other countries in the sub-region through Nigerian ports.

The President added that the rail line will foster the Trans-Sahara trade and contribute to the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement’s expected gains.

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