President Bola Tinubu has approved the procurement of additional railway coaches and high-tech surveillance equipment to boost passenger movement and secure railway infrastructure across the country.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Engr. Funso Adebiyi disclosed this during an inspection tour of the Kano–Maradi railway project and the ongoing construction of the Kano Railway Station.
Adebiyi said the procurement is aimed at enhancing the movement of people and goods along railway corridors while tackling growing threats of banditry, kidnapping and vandalism on rail routes.
He said the Federal Government would deploy surveillance security equipment nationwide to protect passengers and safeguard critical rail assets.
According to a statement on Sunday by the Deputy Director, Press and Public Relations, Gift Seddon, Adebiyi also announced a new stringent handover policy for railway projects.
Under the new directive, contractors handling railway projects must transfer critical technical knowledge to Nigerian engineers before facilities are handed over to the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).
Adebiyi said projects must be properly constructed and sustainably maintainable by Nigerian professionals.
To enforce this, he directed the NRC to assemble young engineers for an intensive one-month practical training programme covering facility operations, consumables replacement and maintenance procedures.
He said priority should be given to engineers aged 35 and below, particularly those with at least 20 years remaining in service, to ensure continuity and long-term institutional memory.
Participants, he said, would write computer-based examinations after the training, warning that failure could attract consequences under relevant Civil Service regulations.
On infrastructure quality, the Permanent Secretary rejected the use of short-life bulbs and light fittings at the Kano station, insisting on a minimum three-year lifespan.
He also demanded customised lamp holders and mobile motorised equipment to ease replacement and maintenance, and directed contractors to provide mechanised equipment for cleaning the terminal’s glass structures.
Adebiyi said contractors must factor in thermal expansion and contraction in the design and maintenance of the facility and cautioned against over-reliance on diesel generators and other expensive energy arrangements that could make long-term operations unsustainable.
He stressed that railway projects must deliver value beyond physical construction by providing durable, maintainable infrastructure supported by competent Nigerian professionals.
According to him, technology transfer and local capacity building must be integral to the Federal Government’s infrastructure delivery strategy, with technical knowledge, maintenance capability and long-term sustainability treated as core elements of project completion.
The inspection was carried out alongside senior officials of the ministry, heads of agencies and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Transportation and Mobility, Prince Ademola Adetokunbo Ade-John.
Source: Politics Archives – New Telegraph
