It is an indubitable fact that transport is key in the socio-economic lives of the citizenry. This is because it is the fulcrum upon which the movement of persons and goods revolves. Transport enables people and cargoes to move from one point to the other. Transportation is not limited to localities. It also ensures the movement of goods and persons from one part of the globe to the other. Different modes of transportation exist, including road, air and water transportation. In Nigeria, these modes of transportation are not in the same levels of development. While some have gone far in terms of modernity, others are still lagging behind.
Years of Neglect
However, rail transport, which is one of the earliest modes of transportation in the pre-colonial era in the country, was neglected and abandoned shortly after the exit of the colonialists. The colonialists’ focus on rail transportation was understandable. It enables them to easily cart away the agricultural products produced in the country to feed the factories and industries in Britain and other parts of Europe. These agricultural produce include cocoa, cotton, rubber, groundnuts, and palm kernel. Others are palm oil, timber, and gum Arabic. This is not unconnected with the fact that these agricultural products serve as the raw materials in the industries situated in the colonialists’ home countries. The primary goal of the colonial government was to ensure the prompt evacuation of these raw materials. This explains why most of the rail lines during the colonial era were built to connect where the raw materials are produced in the country to the port cities such as Lagos and Port Harcourt. It was in the twilight of colonialism that the idea of making railway a means of transportation in terms of conveying people from one part of the country to the other came up. This move was subsequently consolidated by successive governments which took over from the colonialists. These measures aimed at making railway transport attractive was eventually neglected and abandoned. This was how the rot set in. There were dilapidated locomotives and coaches everywhere. In some cases, the rail tracks were totally washed off by rain and gully erosion. Contracts worth billions of naira were awarded to contractors who failed to deliver after they have collected their mobilisation fees. As if these were not enough, poor motivated staff, inadequate personnel, dearth of equipment and poor maintenance combined to make railway an unattractive means of transportation in the country. This was the state of things in railway transport when the federal government during the administration of Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan took the bulls by the horns by taking decisions to address the challenges. These steps were aimed at reversing the dwindling fortunes of railway transport in the short, medium and long terms.
Modernisation Projects
One of the measures the federal government put in place during the administration of former President Jonathan was the railway modernisation projects. These include the procurement of modern coaches fitted with televisions, air-conditions, safety and security gadgets. The rail tracks also witnessed aggressive rehabilitation. Contracts aimed at changing the tracks from the narrow gauge to the modern ones were also awarded. While some of these contracts have been completed and put into use, others are still on-going. One of the benefits derived from the completion of these railway modernisation projects is the fact that routes that were hitherto inaccessible by rail are now reachable by rail. A case in point is the Lagos-Kano route that was abandoned. Since it was formally flagged off three years ago, passengers and goods are now carried from Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre to the ancient city of Kano. THISDAY checks revealed that many traders in the Southern part of the country are now taking advantage of the rehabilitated railway to carry their goods to the north. This is also applicable to the traders in the north. They want to take advantage of the huge market in the old Nigeria capital to make huge sales and expand their business. It was also learnt that some Nigerians who have never had the experience of using railway in their lives are now resorting to the use of railway to have a taste of how it feels to take a train ride. It was gathered that the frequency of the trips between these two cities would be increase in the months ahead as more coaches are put into use by the management of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC). The corporation, which presently has Mr. Adeseyi Sijuwade as its managing director, has not relented in its quest to change the face of railway transport in the country. A civil engineer by profession, Sijuwade has not ceased to draw the attention of critical stakeholders to the strides the corporation has made in ensuring that railway remains a veritable means of transportation in the country.
Kano-Port Harcourt Train Service
One of the strides attained by NRC in recent times is the completion of the Kano-Port Harcourt intercity mixed train service. The service is meant to connect the South-south geo-political zone to the Northern part of the country by rail. Speaking at the formal flag-off of the Kano-Port Harcourt intercity mixed train service at Kano Railway Station, Kano last month, Sijuwade enumerated what Nigeria stand to gain by the re-activation of the service. To underscore its importance, the flag-off was grace by the governors of Kano State, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje; Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Muhammed Badaru Abubakar; Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai; the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transport, Alhaji Mohammed S. Bashar; the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, stakeholders in the transport sector of the economy as well as captains of industry.
Describing it as another milestone event in the ongoing efforts of the federal government to resuscitate railway services, Sijuwade revealed that he had earlier in the year flagged-off a number of train services in the country. These include the Gombe-Kaduna intercity passenger train service, the Zaria-Kaura Namoda mixed train service and the Port Harcourt to Kafanchan intercity train service.
According to him, the Port Harcourt to Kafanchan train service has been extended to Kaduna, Zaria and Kano. Over a decade ago, train movement from Kano through Kafanchan to Port Harcourt ceased. The old thriving movement of goods from Kofar Wambai, Katinkori and Kurmi markets in Kano by rail to Ogbete Market in Enugu, Ariaria Market in Aba and Diobu Market in Port Harcourt have been comatose.
He disclosed that the much celebrated Atampa, perfumes, cosmetics and jewelries movement from Sabongari market in Kano passing through Benue markets to the far Eastern markets in Enugu, Abia and Rivers States were paralysed due to lack of rail transport between the Northern western axis and the eastern part of the country. However, in view of the ongoing reform efforts by NRC, train services are now being resuscitated in phases across the country.
Giving an insight into the newly introduced train service, Sijuwade said: “This comprises two 68-seater air conditioned modern first class passenger coaches, a restaurant coach for comfort on board and several standard class coaches. It traverses a rail distance of 1,139 kilometers stretching from Kano to Port Harcourt with stops at Maidobi, Dangora, Kuya, Zaria, Kaduna Junction, Zonkwa, Kafanchan, Wasa, Lafia, Agyaragu, Makurdi, Oturkpo, Ehamufu, Enugu, Ovim-Amaba, Umuahia and Aba stations.
“The train service will initially run one return trip per week and will increase in frequency as patronage improves. The rail will also include baggage vans to carry various categories of goods such as refined groundnut oil, onions, cotton and textile materials. It is scheduled to depart Kano every Thursday at 16.00 hours to arrive Port Harcourt at 05.00 hours every Saturday. The return journey from Port Harcourt to Kano will depart Port Harcourt station at 07.00 hours every Tuesday and arrive Kano station at 20.00 hrs every Wednesday”.
THISDAY checks revealed that Kano Railway Station was opened in 1914, synchronizing the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates of Nigeria. Kano is renowned for being the homestead of age old groundnut pyramid, hides and skin, great tanneries, ceramics and agricultural products.
The city is also the commercial nerve centre of the north showcasing full scale intermodal traits with the presence of an international airport, Inland Container Depots and Petroleum Products Facility Base. These business accolades associated with Kano are fundamental to recommencing the mass movement of people and products by rail between Kano and Port Harcourt.
Consolidation
Many stakeholders in the transport sector of the economy have stated the need for the federal government under the leadership of President Mohammadu Buhari to consolidate on the gains already recorded in railway by bringing railway transport back to life in all parts of the country, especially the urban centres. No stone should be left unturned in the task to provide Nigerians with a reliable, affordable and efficient railway transport in the country. All the programmes and policies put in place by Jonathan aimed at taking railway transport to the desired height as it is obtainable in the developed world should be pursued aggressively. For instance, one of the items top on the agenda of the Jonathan’s administration was the unbundling of NRC. The idea behind the unbundling of the corporation was hinged on the fact that government cannot sustain the present development strides in the rail sector of the transport industry without the active involvement of the private sector. Experience has shown over the years that “government has no business in business”. However, there is no way any serious private investor would be involved in any public enterprise without the removal of all the encumbrances. The legal framework must be put in place to ensure that there is no hitch. The legal frame work would define the parameters for entry and exit. It would ensure that all parties involved know what to be done, how it would be done and when it would be done. It was in bid to actualise this goal that the former administration sent a bill on the amendment of the NRC Act to the National Assembly. Unfortunately members of the National Assembly could not pass the bill into law before the end of the assembly. It is expected that Buhari will do everything within his powers to drive the passage of the amendment of the NRC Act into law. Since the passage of bills is a long process at the lower and the upper chamber of the National Assembly, Buhari must put his be on ground to monitor every stage. He should lobby the leadership of the National Assembly so that the legislature and the executive arms of government can be on the same page on the passage of the NRC Act Amendments into law in the present eighth Assembly. This is very vital in the sustenance of the present gains recorded in the railway sector of the transport industry.
Adequate funding
Inadequate funding was one of the issues that bedeviled the execution of rehabilitation projects before the advent of the Jonathan’s administration. This was one of the reasons the federal government obtained a loan from the Peoples Republic of China to fund the projects. Since every loan must be paid back with interest no matter how low the interest rate, borrowing to fund railway projects is not sustainable. The federal government must find an alternative means of ensuring that it adequately funds the on-going modernisation projects in the railway sector. It must also tackle the insurgency in the North eastern parts of the country. This is due to the fact that one of the railway modernisation projects aimed at connecting the Borno State capital, Maiduguri to other parts of the country have suffered several setbacks as the contractor could not continue work in an atmosphere of insecurity facing its personnel and equipment. These and many other challenges facing the railway transport must be tackled head on by the Buhari’s administration. The present over reliance on road transport which has led to avoidable damage of the roads by heavy duty trucks among other ills would continue unless the federal government sustain the present moment in the railway modernisation projects.
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