INTERVIEW
50
THE NATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012
The Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar, in an encounter with journalists in Abuja, spoke about the government’s plans to resuscitate railways, boost marine transport and create an enabling environment for foreign investors in the sector. He also spoke on the controversial multi-billion waterways contract that was awarded to a former militant from the Niger Delta. Our Managing Editor, Northern Operation, YUSUF ALLI and Abuja Bureau Chief, YOMI ODUNUGA, were there. Excerpts:
Our plans to restore the lost glory of the railways —Transport Minister Idris Umar tablish a self-sustaining, efficient, affordable and seamless intra mode r n syst e m o f transportation in line with global best practices while creating an enabling environment for public private partnerships. The Federal Ministry of Transport, as you know, is responsible for rail and marine transport and inter-modern co-ordination. The mandate, policies, programmes and budgets of the ministry are implemented through the various agencies at the ministry which include Nigeria Railway Coperation, Nigeria Ports Authority, Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigeria Shippers Council, National Inland Waterways Authority, Nigeria Institute of Transport Technology, Zaria and Maritime Academy of Nigeria Oron. Most Nigerians are curious to know what is happening at the railways which, ordinarily, should be a veritable alternative to road transport. Is there any development in this sector? Rail line construction in Nigeria has reached its present stage of 3,505 kilometres on the existing
•Idris Umar
narrow gauge. The standard gauge is about 254 kilometres. Now, let me say that in the ministry, we have adopted two approaches on the development of the railway. As you are fully aware, the railway has been comatose for a number of years. In those days, the best and perhaps the cheapest means of transportation was through the railway. People travelled from Lagos to Kano, from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri, and then it was the trend as students, traders, businessmen, farmers and goods were transported then with trains. However, this became a thing of the past. So, where does that leave us? Any hope for the return of trains? Of course with the efforts of the current administration, Nigerians are definitely assured that the railway system is going to be resuscitated. The dual approach we have adopted first is to ensure the rehabilitation of the existing narrow gauge, and secondly to reconstruct or to construct and develop what we call the modern rail lines, the
standard gauge. The existing narrow gauge from Lagos to Kano is being rehabilitated. It constitutes what we call the Western corridor and work has already reached an advanced stage. We are hoping that by the second quarter of this year, rehabilitation would have been completed. It is being done in two phases. The first phase, which is Lagos to Jebba, has been completed. The second, Lagos to Kano, is on. It is almost about 85 per cent complete. So we hope that by the end of the second quarter of this year, the Western corridor would be completed. Then the Eastern corridor starts from Port Harcourt to Enugu to Makurdi to Lafia in Nassarawa State, Bukuru in Plateau State with two branches from Kuru to Jos, from Kuru to Kafanchan up to Kaduna and of course from Kuru to Bauchi Maiduguri, Bauchi Gombe, Gombe up to Maigduguri. That constitutes the Eastern corridor and rehabilitation has been going on and we hope that the Eastern corridor will
Nigerians are definitely assured that the railway system is going to be resuscitated. The dual approach we have adopted first is to ensure the rehabilitation of the existing narrow gauge, and secondly to reconstruct or to construct and develop what we call the modern rail lines...
‘
‘
W
HAT is the Ministry of Transport doing to provide succour to many Nigerians who continue to suffer the burden of inadequate and exploitative transport sector? Generally, the fundamental goal of the subsector under the infrastructural components for the transformation agenda of the present administration of Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is to develop an adequate self–sustaining, environmentally sound, efficient and affordable preferred integrated transport. Given the various conditions of the sector, significant improvements will be subject to the realities of the resource availability, practical implementation constraints, careful planning, privatisation and analysis to ensure that the benefits are visible and, above all, are sustainable. You will all agree with me that Nigeria needs massive investment which is, of course, beyond the means available to government in order to close the wide infrastructure gap. To this end, the Federal Government has adopted a policy frame work for the private sector to play significant role in providing some of these investments through private partnerships. This is a concept that is appealing to all. It is not limited to transport sector alone, all sectors of the economy have had to imbibe this because of lean resources as there are lots of competing needs. The use of private investment will appropriately address the infrastructural deficit and improve public services in a sustainable way. In order to actualise the above policy drive of the Federal Government, the Federal Ministry of Transport has, over the years, conceptualised the following as vision: to evolve a world class transportation system in Nigeria and to position it as a hub in the West and Central Africa. Our mission is to es-
be completed by the end of next year. Presently, intra city transit services are being carried out in Lagos, Kano and Kaduna. Under the modernisation programme, the Abuja-Kaduna modern railway line is under construction. We hope that by the end of 2014, it will be completed. Equally worthy of mention is the fact that government is going to award a contract for the reconstruction of Lagos-Ibadan modern line this year. Is there any room for private sector participation in this? A number of feasibility studies are going to be carried out and the intention is to partner with the private sector. Of course, we have already received a lot of interests from various prospective investors who have shown interest in coming to invest in our railways. Some of the lines that are billed for consultancy under the feasibility studies are Lagos to Abuja high speed rail which covers a distance of about 896 kilometers. There are interests being shown by private investors for other segments of the high speed design. We hope that we will conclude the feasibility studies this year or within the first and second quarter of next year so that we will have the raw materials with which to invite the private sector to come in and invest. It is very difficult for government to finance the project by itself alone. You can imagine Lagos-Ibadan