FG to Extend Abuja Rail Services to Kaduna, Zaria, Kano, Daura, Katsina

 The Federal Government has announced plans to extend rail services from Abuja to five northern cities — Kaduna, Zaria, Kano, Daura and Katsina — by January next year.

Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Olufunsho Adebiyi, disclosed the plan at the maiden convocation ceremony of the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology in Zaria, Kaduna State.

“By January next year, you can join a train from Abuja to Kaduna, Zaria, Kano, Daura, and Katsina,” Adebiyi said. 

According to the permanent secretary, the expansion of rail connectivity is part of the Federal Government’s broader investment in transport infrastructure, with the development expected to generate fresh employment opportunities for Nigerians.

Adebiyi urged graduates of the institute to equip themselves with relevant technical and professional skills to take advantage of emerging opportunities in Nigeria’s expanding transportation sector.

“The Federal Government is investing massively in transport infrastructure,” the permanent secretary told the graduands, while encouraging them to acquire the skills required to benefit from developments in the sector. 

The proposed expansion would significantly widen rail connectivity from the Federal Capital Territory into major commercial and population centres across the North, linking Abuja with Kaduna, Zaria, Kano, Daura and Katsina.

Adebiyi, who is himself a product of NITT, said the training he received at the institution in 1995, alongside other professional programmes, played an important role in his career development.

He commended NITT for its contribution to manpower development in the transport sector through professional training, capacity building and research.

The permanent secretary also praised the Director-General and Chief Executive of NITT, Bayero Salih Farah, for his leadership and contribution to the institution’s development.

“He is extremely respectful, committed, diligent, dedicated, hardworking, honest, and a leader with a shepherd’s heart,” Adebiyi said of the NITT director-general. 

As part of efforts to reward academic excellence, Adebiyi announced automatic employment for the two overall best graduating students of the institute and offered them scholarships to pursue degree programmes.

The planned rail expansion is expected to strengthen inter-city mobility, improve connectivity between the Federal Capital Territory and northern communities, and create additional opportunities linked to the country’s growing transport infrastructure.