₦airaland Forum

Typing:
A project that Buhari initiated and it was over 90% completed before Buhari left office. Tinubu wants to take Buharisl's glory.

Nigerians are wiser now

naptu2:
I'll explain this again.

1) Western Line: The Western Line was the first line that was built by the Colonial Government. The primary reason for building it was to transport raw materials and agricultural goods like Al-Hassan Dantata's groundnuts from Kano to the port in Lagos.

The line begins at the Lagos Terminus in Iddo (there's also a branch line to the Apapa Port) and goes through Abeokuta, Ibadan, Ilorin, Kaduna and terminates in Kano. It is a narrow gauge line.

The Western line began with the Lagos-Ibadan line which was built between 1891 and 1896, it reached Kano in 1912 and it was later extended to Nguru in 1930.


2) Eastern Line: The Eastern Line was primarily built to move coal from Enugu to the port at Port Harcourt. Port Harcourt was also built for the same reason (to serve as a port for the shipment of coal). Coal was shipped to Great Britain and to the power plant at Ijora in Lagos.

The Eastern Line was extended to Jos, to move tin from the tin mines there and it was also connected to the Western Line in Kaduna. The Government of Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa extended the Eastern Line to Maiduguri. It is a narrow gauge line.

The Eastern Line began with the Port-Harcourt to Enugu Line that was built between 1913 and 1916. It was extended to Kaduna in 1927 and it was later extended to Maiduguri between 1958 and 1964.

3) Central Line: The Central Line was constructed by the government of General Ibrahim Babangida (construction began in 1987). It was built to convey iron from the iron mines at Itakpe to the steel mill at Ajaokuta and to convey the steel from Ajaokuta to Warri Port. It is a standard gauge line. The line was not completed.


There have been plans to build new standard gauge lines on the western and eastern axis, along the same corridor as the old narrow gauge lines.

The government of President Goodluck Jonathan began the Kaduna-Abuja rail line on the Western Axis. The government of President Muhammadu Buhari completed it and also built the Lagos-Ibadan line on the Western axis. The Government is currently building the Kano-Kaduna leg of the Western Line. When that is completed, all that will be left is the Ibadan-Ilorin and Ilorin-Abuja segments of the line.


The Government of Muhammadu Buhari also completed the Warri-Itakpe Line (the Central Line). There are plans to extend it to Abuja.

The Muhammadu Buhari Administration had declared that it would focus on completing existing projects, rather than starting new ones and so it focused on completing the Western and Central Lines. There is also a plan to build a standard gauge Eastern Line (Port-Harcourt to Maiduguri) but that has not commenced yet (which has caused annoyance among people of the North-East and South-East).


There is a proposal to build a coastal line, from Lagos to Calabar, but it hasn't been built yet. Critics complain that the colonialists were only interested in exploiting resources from Nigeria, rather than giving Nigerians good infrastructure and that's why they built rail lines from the hinterland in the north, to the ports in the south. For example, the critics point out that if you want to go from Lagos to Enugu by rail, you'd first have to go all the way up to Kaduna, before you can get to Enugu.

When I heard this criticism back in the 1980s, I often asked, "So why haven't we built it? The colonialists have been gone since 1960, so why haven't we built a rail line from east to west? We can't keep blaming them".

naptu2:
The Buhari Administration began the Kaduna - Kano leg of the Western Line and the Tinubu Administration will finish it.

President Tinubu has gone to China to finalise the deal for the construction of the Ibadan - Ilorin and Ilorin - Abuja legs of the line.

The idea to build the Eastern and Western standard gauge lines was conceived during the administration of President Obasanjo. Yar'Adua did not follow through, but Goodluck Jonathan continued it.

The Central Line was conceived during the administration of President Shehu Shagari. It was started by the Babangida Administration and finished by the Buhari Administration. However, the Buhari Administration proposed that it should be extended to Abuja.

I'll tell you about Lord Harcourt later.

naptu2:
The Eastern Line goes through places like Port Harcourt, Aba, Umuahia, Enugu, Makurdi, Jos, Bauchi and Maiduguri.

The Western Line goes through places like Lagos, Abeokuta, Ibadan, Ilorin, Jebba, Minna, Kaduna and Kano.

The Central Line goes through Warri, Abraka, Agbor, Igbanke, Agenebode, Uromi, Ajaokuta and Itakpe.

Ndi Anambra,

The State Executive Council is reaffirming the state of emergency on our environment due to widespread environmental devastation.

IN LINE WITH THIS:

STATEWIDE ENVIRONMENTAL LOCKDOWN

Date: Saturday, July 4, 2026
Time: 6:00 AM – 10:00 AM

Activity: Mandatory desilting and waste evacuation across all communities.

MOVEMENT RESTRICTION

All residents and businesses must clear their drainages and clean their surroundings. Movement is restricted during these hours.

EXEMPTIONS

Only security agencies, health workers, ambulances, journalists, fire service, and personnel on essential duties are exempted.

This is a survival measure. We are using these four hours to clear drainages, evacuate refuse, and protect Anambra from floods and disease.

I direct every community, market, and household to participate fully. Government is leading this effort.

A clean Anambra is a liveable Anambra. A liveable Anambra is a prosperous Anambra.

May Anambra continue to win!

Construction at the Kazaure Railway Station, part of the Kano–Maradi–Dutse Railway Project, is progressing steadily. The Kano–Maradi–Dutse railway corridor will include 20 stations, five workshops, 52 bridges, and more than 80 road crossings. Upon completion, it is expected to transport up to 3,000 metric tons of freight and about 9,374 passengers daily. It will also connect seamlessly with the Lagos–Kano railway line to enhance regional connectivity, boost trade, improve mobility and drive our economic growth.

UPDATE on Arewa Rail Projects.

The largest Railway station in West Africa in Zawachiki Kano state, has now reached the final phase of completion. pic.twitter.com/Uvd6JAdR0z

— Abu bakar (@abbkar_ai) June 29, 2026

This is the Zawachiki Railway Station, the central station in Kano for the Lagos–Kano National Railway Service. Construction began in July 2021 and has now reached the final phase of completion. Once completed, it will be one of the largest railway stations in the country.

The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, says 24 federal institutions have been powered by solar energy under the “Energising Education Project” of President Bola Tinubu’s Administration.

Alausa, who disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja at the Collaboration Agreement Signing Ceremony with the vice chancellors of beneficiary institutions, added that eight more universities have signed collaboration agreements to join the fourth phase of the project.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that, before the signing ceremony, the minister undertook an inspection tour of the solar-powered facility at the University of Abuja, now Yakubu Gowon University.

Alausa, who described the project as a “new day for Nigeria”, hailed the transformative initiative under Tinubu, aimed at providing uninterrupted power supply to Nigeria’s federal tertiary institutions. He said the projects had wide-reaching benefits for education and the economy.

According to him, the University of Abuja, which now boasts a solar farm comprising 6,000 photovoltaic panels, is generating approximately 3.3 megawatts of electricity daily, enough to power the campus round the clock.

“This project brings continuous, 24-hour electricity to our institutions. It allows for increased academic activity, powers laboratories and libraries throughout the day and night, and improves living and learning conditions for both students and faculty,” he said.

The minister emphasised the economic ripple effect of the initiative, explaining how reliable electricity stimulates business within campuses.
“Any campus is a community by itself. With constant power supply, you unleash high economic activity,” he said.

The minister explained that the project was backed by the Renewable Infrastructure Fund established by Tinubu to support infrastructure development across sectors.

He, therefore, challenged vice chancellors of universities on innovative and creative ways of sustaining the project, noting that by 2027, every tertiary institution would have renewable energy generation.

On his part, the Managing Director, Rural Electrification Agency, Abba Aliyu, said that phases 1, 2, and 3 of the project have so far impacted over 600,000 students and 50,000 academic staff.
Aliyu said that the project had also generated over 100 megawatts of electricity to power university campuses and teaching hospitals.

He said the initiative, implemented through multiple phases, had already brought solar mini-grid infrastructure to 24 federal universities across the country.

“What you are seeing here is one of our interventions in the education sector, and the aim is to ensure that universities have a sustainable and affordable electricity supply,” he said

In addition to educational institutions, he said the Universal Public Health Project, part of phase 2, had successfully delivered clean energy to two universities and two teaching hospitals.

He added that Phase 3, which includes the electrification of eight more universities and one additional teaching hospital, is near completion and set to be commissioned in the coming two months.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the eight new beneficiary institutions include Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; University of Nigeria, Nsukka; and Federal University, Wukari, Taraba State.

Others are Federal University Dutse, University of Benin, University of Ibadan, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and University of Lagos.

https://punchng.com/24-federal-tertiary-institutions-powered-by-solar-energy-minister/

FG Delivers Solar Hybrid Power Plant to Energise Federal University Dutsin-Ma.

@TheREANigeria

A university should never have to pause learning, research, or innovation because of unreliable electricity.

That is why the Rural Electrification Agency, through the Energising Education Programme Phase 3 (EEP-3), continues to invest in energy infrastructure that empowers our institutions to thrive.

At the Federal University, Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State, we are delivering a 1.9MVA Solar Hybrid Power Plant with a 2MW Battery Energy Storage System, ensuring the university has access to reliable, clean, and sustainable electricity. Beyond generation, the project includes upgraded 33kV and 11kV distribution networks, low-voltage infrastructure, smart metering and billing systems, CCTV, solar street lighting, and a dedicated renewable energy training school.

This initiative is being delivered through a strong institutional partnership comprising the African Development Bank (AfDB) as the funding partner, the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) as the implementing agency, and KELM Engineering as the Renewable Energy Service Company (RESCO) responsible for project delivery. It is another example of what can be achieved when development partners, government, and the private sector work together towards a common goal.

What excites me most is that this project goes beyond powering buildings. It creates an environment where students can learn without interruption, researchers can work with confidence, healthcare services can function more effectively, and young Nigerians can acquire practical skills in renewable energy technologies.

This is what the Energising Education Programme is about, building campuses that are not only powered by clean energy, but are also preparing the next generation of innovators, engineers, and problem-solvers who will shape Nigeria's future.

Project by project, institution by institution, we are proving that energy access is an investment in education, innovation, and national development.