Adedokun Waliyu 
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has said President Bola Tinubu is stepping up efforts to complete major railway projects in Northern Nigeria, with the Kaduna-Kano Standard Gauge Railway expected to be inaugurated on December 3, 2026.
In a statement on Sunday, APC Presidential Campaign Council spokesperson Dele Alake said the 203-kilometre Kaduna-Zaria-Kano railway project is about 90 per cent complete, while the 400-kilometre Kano-Katsina-Maradi railway project is 70 per cent complete.
The statement also highlighted the progress recorded on both projects since Mr Tinubu took office in 2023.
“The Kaduna-Kano project was less than 30 per cent complete when Mr Tinubu assumed office in 2023, while the Kano-Katsina-Maradi project was barely five per cent complete,” it said.
Mr Tinubu had directed the immediate resolution of outstanding land acquisition and compensation issues in the Kaduna metropolis to facilitate the completion of the railway corridor.
The statement further said a federal government inspection team led by Funso Adebiyi, the permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, recently inspected both projects on the president’s directive.
The team also conducted a test-run journey from Jaji in Kaduna State to Kano to assess the railway infrastructure and passenger comfort along the Kaduna-Kano route.
Mr Adebiyi expressed satisfaction with the quality of construction work, particularly the railway alignment, drainage infrastructure, embankment protection, stone pitching and soil stabilisation.
The statement noted that the Kaduna-Kano railway, when operational, will “improve passenger transportation, facilitate commercial activities and provide an alternative to road travel along one of Northern Nigeria’s busiest commercial corridors.”
It added that the Kano-Katsina-Maradi railway “is expected to strengthen cross-border transportation and trade between Nigeria and the neighbouring Niger Republic.”
The statement said the completed 190-kilometre Jaji-Kano section of the Kaduna-Kano railway and the 250-kilometre Dawanu-Kano-Kazaure-Daura-Katsina section of the Kano-Maradi project would be inaugurated on December 3.
