Tinubu Accelerates Northern Rail Projects, Targets December Inauguration

• Kano-Katsina-Maradi rail project reaches 70% completion
• Keyamo: Aviation reforms to generate $25.7bn annual revenue by 2029

Chinedu Eze in Lagos and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja 

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is accelerating the completion of major railway projects in Northern Nigeria, with the Kaduna–Kano Standard Gauge Railway scheduled for inauguration on December 3, 2026.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), through its spokesperson, Dele Alake, disclosed this in a statement yesterday. 

This comes as the  Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, disclosed that the aviation reforms of the Tinubu administration was projected to generate additional annual revenue of N2.58 billion and total projected revenue of $25.7 billion in 2029.

Alake further said  the 203-kilometre Kaduna–Zaria–Kano railway project, one of the administration’s legacy projects, had reached approximately 90 per cent completion, while the 400-kilometre Kano–Katsina–Maradi railway project had attained 70 per cent completion.

He recalled that when President Tinubu assumed office in 2023, the Kano–Katsina–Maradi rail project was at barely five per cent completion, while Kaduna–Kano was less than 30 per cent complete.

Alake noted, “The projects demonstrate the administration’s commitment to expanding Nigeria’s railway infrastructure, improving regional connectivity and facilitating the movement of passengers and goods across the country and beyond.”

He emphasised that the Kaduna–Kano railway, an extension of the existing Abuja–Kaduna standard gauge line, would establish a continuous rail connection between Abuja, Kaduna, Zaria and Kano, strengthening transportation links across major commercial centres in Northern Nigeria.

The spokesperson stressed that the two rail projects were recently inspected on the directive of President Tinubu by a federal government team led by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Funso Adebiyi, who expressed satisfaction with the quality of construction work, particularly the railway alignment, drainage infrastructure, embankment protection, stone pitching and soil stabilisation.

He said the inspection included a train test-run journey from Jaji in Kaduna State to Kano, allowing officials to assess the completed track infrastructure and passenger comfort.

Alake added that the President had also directed that all outstanding land acquisition and compensation issues within Kaduna metropolis should be resolved immediately so that the railway corridor from Abuja to Kano would be completed.

He said the completed 190-kilometre Jaji-Kano section out of the entire 205-kilometre stretch of the Kaduna-Kano rail project and the 250-kilometre Dawanu-Kano-Kazaure-Daura-Katsina section of the Kano-Maradi project would be inaugurated by December 3, 2026.

When operational, the Kaduna–Kano railway would improve passenger transportation, facilitate commercial activities and provide an alternative to road travel along one of Northern Nigeria’s busiest commercial corridors.

According to him, similarly, the Kano–Katsina–Maradi railway, which has reached 70 per cent completion, is expected to strengthen cross-border transportation and trade between Nigeria and the neighbouring Niger Republic.

“In line with President Tinubu’s agenda, all ongoing infrastructure projects will be delivered in every part of the country as scheduled.”

Meanwhile as tthe first tenure of the Tinubu administration winds down, Keyamo has said the aviation reforms are expected to unlock more than $1 billion in aircraft financing capacity for Nigerian airlines through the establishment of the Nigeria Aircraft Leasing Company.

He explained that the initiative, approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in April 2026, was designed to address the longstanding difficulties faced by indigenous airlines in accessing aircraft on competitive leasing terms.

Keyamo, who disclosed this to THISDAY while reeling out the achievements of President Bola Tinubu’s administration in the aviation sector as of November 2026, said the proposed company would operate as a locally based Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV).

He, however, said the company would have sovereign backing, which would enable domestic carriers to acquire or lease aircraft from international manufacturers and lessors under more favourable conditions.

According to him, the company would be fully privately funded, with no obligation for direct federal government investment, while the government’s role would be limited to providing sovereign guarantees relating to aircraft repossession and safety.

He added the government would also hold equity in the company through the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MoFI).

Keyamo further explained the initiative would reduce the financial burden on local airlines and improve their competitiveness.

He observed that Nigerian carriers had in the past paid significantly higher aircraft lease rates than their international counterparts, largely because of regulatory uncertainties, insurance challenges and the country’s previous poor standing among international aircraft lessors.

He emphasised the establishment of the leasing company was part of a wider package of reforms aimed at restoring international confidence in Nigeria’s aviation industry and improving access to aircraft financing.

Keyamo said the reforms had already produced tangible benefits, citing the delivery of a Boeing 737-700 NG to Air Peace on dry lease from AerCap, one of the world’s leading aircraft lessors.

“In all safety compliance assessment conducted by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in Nigeria prior to 2026, the country’s performance had generally remained around 70 per cent. This was not an encouraging score considering that it was a matter of safety.

“However, in April 2026, after ICAO’s Coordinated Validation Mission, Nigeria recorded its highest ever score of 91.45 per cent in Safety Compliance Audit, which is above both the global average of 70.4 per cent and the West African average of 61.1 per cent.

“Also, Nigeria achieved full aerodrome certification of its five international airports for the first time in its history (Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt and Enugu),” the Minister said.

He disclosed that under the Tinubu administration, aviation agencies recorded significant improvement identified globally.

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) attained dual international certifications: ISO 9001:2015 for Quality Management Systems and ISO 14001:2015 for Environmental Management Systems, issued by MSECB Canada.

In the same vein, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) also achieved ISO 9001:2015 certification.

“NAMA also deployed the Advanced Airspace Management Systems and Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast. These investments in Communication, Navigation and Surveillance infrastructure were essential to the aerodrome certification process and the safety score improvement,” Keyamo said.

The minister also emphasised the importance of the government’s decision to abandon the proposed Ethiopian Airlines national carrier partnership inherited from the previous administration and concentrated in helping domestic airlines to develop capacity.

That decision, he said, helped them to develop capacity to operate international service, stressing that if the idea was not jettisoned, it could have affected the survival and growth of indigenous carriers.

He stressed that the Tinubu administration concentrated on strengthening existing Nigerian carriers, citing the government’s support for Air Peace’s entry into the Lagos-London route in March 2024 and its subsequent expansion to Abuja-London operations.

He also mentioned the approval of a 30 per cent discount on outstanding debts owed by domestic airlines to aviation agencies, including FAAN, NAMA and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), as part of measures to ease the financial pressures on operators.

Keyamo also identified the reconstruction of Terminal One at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, at the cost of N712.3 billion, the upgrade of several airports, the resolution of the nearly two-decade dispute over the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal Two and the clearance of foreign airlines’ trapped funds among the administration’s major achievements.

He further stated that the government had committed N46 billion to the resurfacing of the runway at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), while the domestic terminal had been remodelled and a new hajj terminal commissioned in July 2026.

Keyamo emphasised these interventions had collectively repositioned Nigeria’s aviation industry for improved investment, operational efficiency and international competitiveness.