The Federal Government will commence the linking of Kano-Kaduna by rail in July soon after commissioning Lagos-Ibadan rail project in June, this year.
The Minister made this known yesterday when he led a delegation of Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) and Nigerian Railway Corporation to pay a courtesy visit on the Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, in Kano.
The Minister who was in the state to commission the NSC’s North-West Zonal Office as well assess the ongoing Dala Inland Dry Port, said the opening of the zonal office and the Inland Dry Port would boost business activities in the state. He added that it will also encourage import and export though there are no rivers in the state, stating that avenues are in motion on how maritime activities will be brought there.
“We are here because we want to see how far you have gone with the Dala Inland Dry Port because between now and July, we would start work on the Kano-Kaduna part of the rail and when we’ve linked the Kano rail to Kaduna and linked Ibadan to Abuja, then we have addressed the problem of movement of cargoes” he said.
He further said: “We have to learn how to manage cargoes that come to Kano, like you know, we are also linking Kano-Maradi, so Kano will be the hub for the railway sector with a major station in Kano, to control the volume of human traffic in Kano”.
Also, the Minister called on the state tier of government to support the Federal Government by providing an enabling structure for protecting the infrastructural projects of Federal Government in the State.
Responding, Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje expressed delight over the siting of the Zonal Office of Nigerian Shippers’ Council in the State, considering that it is the economic hub of the north and that siting the office there will further of engender commercial activities in the State.
He said that based on the population of the State, the volume of import and export is very high, assuring that Dala Inland Dry Port will be put to good use.
Ganduje, observed that with Aminu Kano International airport and the trans-border businesses between Kano and other neighbouring countries, the Dry Port, the proposed Kano-Maradi and Kano-Kaduna Rail line if realised will further boost the economic nerve of the State.
On the courtesy visit to Kano State Governor were: the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, the Executive Secretary, NSC, Hassan Bello, the Director, Maritime Services, FMT, Suleiman Auwwal, other management staff from the Ministry and NSC.