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From Uche Usim, Abuja
For a nation trudging towards industrialisation, addressing infrastructure deficit is a major step towards realising the gargantuan ambition.
Unfortunately, this is not the best of times for businesses to thrive in Nigeria, as the country battles the worst insurgency in its chequered history. Bandits and terrorists now annex territories and patrol major highways, kidnapping, maiming and killing.
In the midst of the uncertainties and horror, the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation Nigeria Limited (CCECC) is braving the odds to deliver various projects awarded by the Federal Government under its infrastructure renewal agenda.
One of such assignments is the Nigerian Railway Modernization Project (NRMP), a deal inked in October 2006 between the CCECC and the Federal Ministry of Transportation. It entails the Lagos-Kano corridor and other rail lines around the eastern and coastal parts of the country.
To this end, CCECC has sent more than 45 Nigerian students to China to learn railway engineering technology so they return and spread the knowledge in Nigeria, in line with the technology transfer clause of the project.
There are also 150 more students being trained from scratch.
The nationwide rail network is intended to help in the country’s diversification efforts, away from crude oil.
The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) envisages that Nigeria would be linked with rail lines within the next five to 10 years.
The Lagos-Kano railway, among other things, seeks to consolidate the huge economic, commercial and cultural ties between the northern and southern parts of the country.
The Kaduna-Kano railway is part of the Nigerian Railway Modernization Project, in the realisation of a new standard-gauge railway line from Lagos to Kano, with connections to Ibadan, Abuja, via Minna and Kaduna, at a total length of 1,315 kilometres.
The Kaduna-Kano segment consists of a total length of 203km and will have six stations.
Penultimate week, CCECC, which has indelible footprints on Nigeria’s infrastructural landscape, invited journalists to inspect the Kano-Kaduna segment of the Lagos-Kano railway project, where various villages and clans are already harvesting some low-hanging fruits from it.
Local contractors, artisans, grocers and food vendors are fattening their accounts from CCECC’s patronage.
Speaking at a post-inspection briefing, CCECC’s project coordinator, Contract Business Department, Kaduna-Kano Railway Project, Mark Xu, said the railway project is designed for a maximum speed 150km per hour, powered by diesel.
He reiterated that the Abuja to Kaduna railway segment has since been built and made operational.
“After we reviewed this project, from Abuja to Kano, the total project will be finished in record time because we are building Kaduna to Kano and already there is a linking railway from Abuja to Kaduna.
“This railway will boost the local economy. It will be more beneficial to the local government and the residents. It will stimulate the establishment of local factories because, along this route, there’s a dry port. This infrastructure will help boost transportation of goods and humans from the North to the nation’s capital, Abuja.
“Also, this is about industrialization and urbanisation of Nigeria. This project will give Nigerians more benefit because, once the railway is built and begins operation, all the economic centres will come close to the railway and thus be a benefit to all.
“Kano is one of the most important cities in Nigeria, as is Kaduna, and Abuja. This will promote and foster integrated economic development. There’s a future for the railway; we already built a railway in Abuja, from Abuja to Kaduna and now we are building from Kaduna to Kano. Eventually, it will be from the South to the North, from the seaport to the dry port, and you’ll see this is important for industries in this country, for the many heavy industries lined up in Kano. This will also boost the economy by way of transportation cost reduction as mass goods can now be moved by rail. Huge benefits will come to the local citizens and citizens of Nigeria.
“Talking about the project being a link between the seaport and dry port, the railway will come from the coastal city, which is in Lagos to an inland city, which is Kano State. Kaduna to Kano is just a segment of it. We have constructed Abuja to Kaduna, Lagos to Ibadan. The third segment is the onward extension of Abuja, which is Kaduna to Kano. What will remain after this construction will be Lagos to Abuja. Once we have that, we will have the journey all the way from Lagos to Kano,” Xu explained.
He added that the project was at Section 6, adding that CCECC has employed at least 500 locals, in conformity with the local content rule.
He further noted that the Kaduna-Kano corridor had eight sections, with over 400 locals employed as staff. For the entire Kaduna-Kano segment, more than 2,800 locals have so far been absorbed.
To avoid litigation and rancour that could slow down the project, Xu disclosed that some of the lands were under compensation.
“We are not only using the locals for this project, but there is another group of people who are also serving in this project. Some of them sell some goods or something that also benefit the communities.
“We may employ about 10,000 but that depends on the nature of work because sometimes it’s low and sometimes it’s high. Different sections have different people and it depends on the different professionals needed.
“Some of the people are already enjoying the benefits or maybe have already improved their livelihood. We have sent 45 locals who are our staff to China to learn railway technology.
“We face challenges every day but we always guide our assistants or our employees and currently we are trying to solve all the problems. But we are first centred on our employees for their hard work” he added.
To cut costs, Xu said a lot of raw materials are sourced locally.
A beneficiary of the offshore training and a staff of CCECC, Abba Adamu Lawal, said the exposure was the first joint degree programme in Nigeria between Ahmadu Bello University and the Chinese government.
“We were selected from ABU when we finished our 300 level to move to China and study Railway Engineering, making it five years because we completed two years in China.
“We went in 2018 and came back in 2020 and, ever since I came back, I have been directly attached to Mr. Chen, a senior official of the company, since 2020.
Besides our own programme, they also sponsored over 150 students to start from 100 level. Those students are to study railway and civil engineering also. When they finish, they’re expected to come and take over the Transportation University being constructed in Daura right now and the one that will be constructed in Rivers. They are expected to take over in those universities as lecturers.
“So, I think they have taken care of passing the knowledge. They will be done by next year 2023 because we went together in 2018,” he said.
Lawal added that, with the type of deal Nigeria signed with China, the Chinese would have developed indigenous capacity to manage the railways such that they can leave once the railways are constructed because there would have been capable hands to operate and maintain them.
In his remarks, the personnel manager, human resources department, CCECC, Suleiman Shehu, said the company, CCECC, has been in Nigeria for 41 years building infrastructure.
“CCECC has (been) rooted in Nigeria and laid a solid foundation for its development. The history of Nigeria infrastructural development and advancement can never be complete without the mention of roles played by CCECC Nigeria limited.
Most of the people living in these communities get the opportunity of securing employment. They are open to job opportunities. Before the coming of CCECC on this project, most of our people only worked on farms but now most of our young people are working here. More than 200 indigenes of this local government are working on this project as direct employees.
Also, it has brought a huge economic impact to this community. This company has over 500 staff and so a lot of business activities are flowing into the communities like we have women who are selling food, men who are selling soft drinks and many other commodities. The only major challenge we are facing is difficulty acquiring land”, he stated
Commenting on the gains of the railway project, a good vendor, Mrs Philomena Samuel said the company, CCECC has been a tremendous help to its host communities.
“Before they came, we weren’t engaged in any form of economic activity but I can proudly tell you that since they came, those of us living here have been opportune to engage in small businesses from where we get some money to take care of our children because I get a lot of patronage from their staff.
“Since my stay here as a food vendor, I have helped many people who have been pleading with me to get a job. I talk to CCECC on behalf of such people and a good number of them have been employed as direct staff”, she said.
In his submission, Abdullahi Ibrahim, the Village head of Gimi Gari under Markarfi Local Government Area of Kaduna described the project as a major transformer of their social-economic space as small businesses have sprung up.
“Local contractors have also been energised as CCECC sources needed local materials from the host communities to lower cost and achieve efficiency quicker.
In fact, there are great benefits derived from this project. We’re grateful. Our domain is now busier with greater commerce. Other adjourning communities are also benefiting. I thank the Federal Government.
“We have a good relationship with CCECC. They have a listening ear to ensure we live peacefully. This relationship helps me address what we need through the company. CCECC is also helping us.
“I urge the FG to beef up security in this area and provide other things they need to complete this project. This is predominantly a farming area and with this project, farmers can easily move their goods to markets where they are needed.
“We also want the company to do more in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility”, he said.
