FG to link Niger with Abuja by rail in 2020 – Gov Bello

John Adams, Minna

The Federal Government has concluded plans to link Minna the Niger state capital with Abuja the federal capital by rail, Niger State governor, Alhaji Abubakar, Sani Bello, has disclosed.

Governor Bello dropped the hint during the last session of the State Executive Council meeting in 2019 in Minna.

According to a source close to the meeting, the governor did not give details of the project but was quoted as saying that the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, announced the plan in Abuja recent.

Amaechi according to Bello said the project will commence in 2020 and that it is part of the rail transportation plan of the Federal Government which is also to reduce pressure on the roads.

Niger state Commissioner for Investment, Dr Mustapha Jibril, confirmed the development, saying that the state government will construct a light rail to link Minna with Suleja town.

Jibril said the project which would be under the build-operate-and-transfer policy would also, entail the rehabilitation of the old standard gauge rail line in the state.

According to the commissioner as a result of the huge cost of carrying out the feasibility study for the project which he put at N1.2billion, one of the three firms that showed interest in the job had agreed to do the study without any cost to the state government.

Jibril said the light rail when completed would convey agricultural products from Minna to Suleja from where the goods would be transported to other parts of the country.

The commissioner said an Indian company with headquarters in Kano Nigeria had also agreed to establish a Shea Butter factory in the state but did not say when the job would commence.