Tinubu sets December 3 for Kaduna-Kano railway inauguration

The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC-PCC) has announced that President Bola Tinubu will inaugurate the Kaduna-Kano Standard Gauge Railway on December 3, 2026.

According to the council, the 203-kilometre Kaduna-Zaria-Kano project is currently at 90 per cent completion, while the 400-kilometre Kano-Katsina-Maradi railway has attained 70 per cent completion.

A Federal Government delegation led by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transportation, Funso Adebiyi, recently inspected the tracks and conducted a train test-run from Jaji in Kaduna State to Kano.

According to the council, the Kano-Katsina-Maradi line was at barely five per cent completion, and the Kaduna-Kano project was below 30 per cent when President Tinubu assumed office in 2023.

The President, in a statement signed by the council’s spokesperson, Dele Alake, has directed the immediate resolution of outstanding land acquisition and compensation issues within the Kaduna metropolis to finalise the Abuja-Kano rail corridor.

“The projects demonstrate the administration’s commitment to expanding Nigeria’s railway infrastructure, improving regional connectivity and facilitating the movement of passengers and goods across the country and beyond.”

The specific sections scheduled for the December 3 inauguration include the 190-kilometre Jaji-Kano stretch and the 250-kilometre, Dawanu-Kano-Kazaure-Daura-Katsina segment.

Once fully operational, the railways are expected to provide an alternative to road travel along major commercial routes and strengthen cross-border trade between Nigeria and the Niger Republic.