FG To Spend Over N30bn On Security Surveillance Along Abuja-Kaduna Railway And Others

 

Federal Government of Nigeria has proposed to spend over N30 billion on the installation of Acoustal Sensing Security surveillance system for the Abuja (IDU)-Kaduna railway, amongst others in the 2023 budget.

Gatekeepers News reports that some of the items listed include completion of the Abuja-Kaduna railway; completion of the Lagos-Ibadan and its associated additional works; rehabilitation of Itakpe-Ajaokuta rail line and construction of 12 NOS station building and tracks laying works at railway ancillary facilities area agbor.

The figure which is part of the federal government’s executive proposal in the 2023 budget also earmarked over N126.53 billion for the parent Ministry of Transport.

From the figure, the Ministry of Transport headquarters gets N93.66 billion; Nigerian Railway Corporation, NRC, gets N20.45 billion; National Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA, gets N5.39 billion.

Others include: National Institute of Transportation, NIT, which gets N4.69; Maritime Academy, Oron, receives N1.55 billion, while Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria gets N775 million.

The Federal Government further proposed to spend a total of N4,31 billion of its N126.53 billion budget on purchase of trains, under the line items, code: 23010111, while N100 billion would be expended on facilitating the Mass Transit scheme.

Meanwhile, N2.98 billion will go for the procurement and rehabilitation of rolling stock (Narrow Gauge), and rehabilitation of narrow gauge track from Minna to Narrow with extension to the Baro River Port, which are ongoing.

In addition, establishment and management of six national freight offices nationwide will gulp N100 million, while N10 million would be spent on education and construction of speed reduction signages using the International Road Assessment Program, CIRAP, with Federal Capital Territory Authority, FCTA.

The federal government has also planned to spend N45 million on rehabilitation of central Air conditioner system, toilets and offices and leakages on the roof, and physical head count of staff of the ministry.