The Federal Executive Council approved a sum of N453.90 billion on Wednesday for the procurement of rolling stock, operation and maintenance equipment for the Kano‑Maradi standard gauge rail line currently under construction. The amount also includes N510.93 million earmarked for four customised fire‑service and search‑and‑rescue vans to be stationed at seaports in Port Harcourt, Lagos Port Complex, Tincan Island Port and the Marina headquarters of the Nigerian Ports Authority. Minister of Transportation Mu’azu Sambo disclosed this to State House correspondents after the Council meeting, chaired by President Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The 248 km rail line, launched in 2021, will traverse Kano and other cities such as Kazaure in Bauchi State, Daura and Mashi in Katsina State, Dutse in Jigawa State, and the border town of Jibia before terminating in Maradi, Niger Republic’s trade and agricultural hub. A former Transport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, noted that the line will have 15 stations, with a projected daily traffic of 9,364 passengers and about 3,000 metric tonnes of cargo. The project, however, has faced resistance, particularly from lawmakers. In November 2021, the National Assembly Joint Committee on Land and Marine Transport criticised the proposed rail project.
Speaking on Wednesday, Sambo explained that the memorandum sought Council’s consideration and approval for awarding the contract for rolling stock, operation and maintenance equipment for the Kano‑Maradi line. The contract was awarded to MSSRs Mota‑Engil Nigeria Limited, the contractors handling the project, for $984,722,302.5 inclusive of 7.5 % VAT, with a four‑year completion period. Sambo also revealed that the Transport Ministry presented another memorandum on behalf of the Nigerian Ports Authority for the construction and supply of four customised fire‑service and search‑and‑rescue vans for Rivers ports in Port Harcourt, Lagos Port Complex, Tincan Island Port and the NPA Marina headquarters in Lagos. Council considered the memorandum and approved the award, as recommended by the Bureau of Public Procurement, to Messrs All Works Commercial Company Limited for N510,934,600 inclusive of 7.5 % VAT, with a nine‑month completion period.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Mohammed Abubakar also spoke, saying his ministry secured Council’s approval for a revised 2022 National Agricultural Seed Policy memo. Nigeria had been operating the 2010 policy, revised in 2015, before the latest 2022 revision. Abubakar explained that the revision aligns the policy with globally approved standards for seed quality and aims to ensure food security. He noted that continuous technological development upgrades seeds, standardising them with several vitamins and addressing genetically modified organisms. “This revision seeks to conform with global best practices in yield. Our farmers must have access to the best‑quality, fortified seeds that can produce competitive yields for the world market. This is the basis for this particular policy,” he said.
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