Nigeria’s Federal Executive Council has approved contracts worth $2.99 billion for three major rail projects in Lagos, Kano, and Kaduna states.
Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Prof. Taiwo Oyedele, announced the decision after a FEC meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the State House in Abuja, describing the projects as part of the government’s move to accelerate Nigeria’s transport modernisation and strengthen economic connectivity across key urban centres.
The approved projects include the Lagos Green Line Rail, the Kano State Metro City Rail, and the Kaduna State Light Rail, each designed to ease urban congestion, enhance mobility, and stimulate regional economic activity.
The Lagos Green Line is one of the most anticipated components of the Lagos metropolitan rail network, designed to run from Marina in the heart of Lagos Island through the Lekki corridor an area home to some of the highest concentrations of commercial and residential activity in sub-Saharan Africa.
Meanwhile, the Kano Metro City Rail and Kaduna Light Rail target two of northern Nigeria’s most economically significant urban centres, aiming to ease congestion and support commerce.
Oyedele justified the selection of the three cities by noting that they are strategic economic hubs where, in his words, “10 per cent effort can yield up to 90 per cent results.”
The projects will be financed through the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI), acting on behalf of the federal government, with provisions for counterpart funding arrangements.
The approvals also align with the administration’s broader infrastructure agenda, which prioritises rail development as a cost-effective and sustainable alternative to road transport.
The rail approvals were part of a wider set of far-reaching FEC decisions that also included contracts for road and bridge projects worth over ₦7 trillion, spanning all six geopolitical zones, as well as the constitution of a presidential power sector taskforce to be chaired by President Tinubu.
