APC Council Sets December 3 Inauguration for Kaduna–Kano Rail Section

Nigeria’s APC Presidential Campaign Council said on November 8 that the Jaji–Kano rail section is scheduled for inauguration on December 3, 2026. The council’s spokesperson, Dele Alake, announced the timetable in a statement that also covered other rail construction in northern Nigeria. The council identified the Jaji–Kano section as 190 kilometres and said a 250-kilometre Dawanu–Kano–Kazaure–Daura–Katsina section was scheduled for inauguration on the same date. It put progress on Kaduna–Zaria–Kano at approximately 90%, and Kano–Katsina–Maradi at 70%. According to the council, President Bola Tinubu directed the immediate resolution of outstanding land acquisition and compensation issues within Kaduna metropolis. The Kaduna–Kano project extends the existing Abuja–Kaduna standard-gauge railway, with the intended connection linking Abuja, Kaduna, Zaria and Kano continuously. An earlier federal information ministry release, published on October 23, had already reported approximately 90% completion and identified land acquisition and compensation in Kaduna as an obstacle to finishing the connection. Transportation permanent secretary Funso Adebiyi led an inspection that included a test ride from Jaji to Kano and checks of the alignment, drainage and embankment protection. “I am quite delighted,” Adebiyi said during that earlier assessment.