By Demi Adeniyi
The Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, is set to construct an intra-city rail network to connect Maiduguri with other parts of the capital.
Maiduguri enjoys prominence as the terminal of the Eastern rail line, the rehabilitation of which the Federal Government is directly financing by budgetary allocation. The corridor rehabilitation from Port-Harcourt to Maiduguri is expected to terminate at Gombe. The Port-Harcourt -Enugu-Aba, which has been completed is presently witnessing a surge in passenger traffic.
Borno State would be the first of the 19 northern sub-nationals in Nigeria to embark on the intercity train linkage. The modernisation had been part of the former President Muhammadu Buhari administration’s vision to ensure that all state capitals are connected by rail.
Borno, Plateau, Kano, Kwara and Oyo States have indicated interest to develop new rail lines in their domains in line with the Nigerian Railway Corporation’s amendment Act 2023, signed by President Buhari on March 17, 2023, which moved railway investments from exclusive to the concurrent list.
The first phase of the Borno State project is projected to have 12 train stations in Maiduguri, which would be located along major markets, schools, other public places and economic zones in the state.
The scalable project is expected to be extended to all local government areas, to facilitate the seamless movement of passengers and goods, and open up economic activities in the state.
Inspecting the take-off of the train stations and laying of the tracks with the implementation partner, Eighteenth Engineering Company (EEC), the State’s Commissioner for Transportation and Energy, Aliyu Mohammed Bamanga, noted that feasibility studies, environmental risk assessment (ERA) and community consultations were underway to ensure the successful implementation of the novel project.
The commissioner stated that when completed, the project will ease transportation, revitalise the economy, create jobs and re-engineer the city’s transportation network.
Zulum’s innovative intra-city rail project will not only be an alternative cost-effective means of transport for the people, it will be energy efficient and environmentally friendly and will support other ongoing transport infrastructural projects, including the 113-kilometre Maiduguri East, West and South Ring Roads expansion, which will link Auno, Molai, Polo and Shagari low-cost communities.
The Zulum administration has previously commissioned electric and gas-powered taxis and buses, at subsidised rates for residents of Maiduguri to cushion the effects from the rise in transportation and living costs, following the fuel subsidy removal.
The governor has also embarked on various urban and rural infrastructure projects across the state. Zulum’s commitment to infrastructural development in Borno was part of a larger strategy to restore peace and prosperity to the state after the effects of the over one decade-long Boko Haram insurgency.