Senate to probe Buhari-era rail projects over persistent derailments, vows to expose corruption

The senate has set up an ad hoc committee to investigate the persistent derailment of Nigeria’s rail lines and probe the loans, contracts, and implementation of railway projects executed under the administration of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Adams Oshiomhole, senator representing Edo north and former national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), will chair the committee.

Other members are Hussaini Babangida (Jigawa north-west), Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia south), Adamu Aliero (Kebbi central), Wasiu Eshinlokun (Lagos central), Osita Ngwu (Enugu west), Solomon Adeola (Ogun west), Ibrahim Dankwabo (Gombe central), Ireti Kingibe (FCT), Ede Dafinone (Delta central) and Sahabi Yau (Zamfara north).

The committee is expected to submit its report within four weeks.

The resolution followed a motion sponsored by Dafinone, who raised the alarm over what he described as “disturbing and persistent technical breakdowns” on the Itakpe–Warri rail corridor.

The lawmaker said the line, inaugurated a few years ago with “great national fanfare”, had become a source of embarrassment and danger due to frequent derailments and service disruptions.

He noted that the corridor recorded no fewer than 10 derailments and several breakdowns between 2023 and 2025, which, according to him, are incidents that have endangered passengers and eroded public confidence in the nation’s rail system.

Dafinone urged the federal ministry of transportation and the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) to undertake an independent technical assessment of the line to identify the causes of the failures and implement corrective measures.

He also recommended that the NRC increase operational capacity, deploy more coaches, and ensure at least two passenger services daily between Ujevwu and Itakpe.

Supporting the motion, Abdul Ningi, a senator representing Bauchi central, described the situation as “a national embarrassment”.

“The government borrowed billions of dollars to construct these lines, yet they are collapsing barely two years after completion,” Ningi said.

“This is not about politics. We must hold those responsible accountable for negligence and mismanagement.”

Patrick Ndubueze, senator representing Imo north, called for a complete reorganisation of the NRC, saying the corporation “is no longer fit for purpose”.

“Our highways are failing because freight that should move by rail is transported by road,” he said.

“Fixing the railways will save lives and preserve our roads.”

Senate President Godswill Akpabio accused those who managed the railway projects under Buhari of gross incompetence and deceit.

“You’ll be shocked that the same people who did this were lying,” Akpabio said.

“They are the same people now seeking to take back the government by revolution—without remorse, without answering questions—after leaving this kind of mess behind, with the amount of indebtedness they caused the country.”

He questioned how a project that cost “trillions of naira” could begin to fail within months of inauguration.

“You spend trillions on rail lines, you commission them, and within one year you have all sorts of mechanical faults,” he said.

“We must find out whether these were truly new lines or refurbished scraps bought and repainted as new. Nigerians deserve to know the truth.”

Akpabio compared the situation to similar projects abroad built by the same contractors that remain functional decades later, describing Nigeria’s case as “a tragic symbol of corruption and poor oversight.”

He clarified that most derailments recorded between 2023 and 2024 occurred before President Bola Tinubu assumed office.

“These derailments started before we came. This government inherited a failed system,” Akpabio said.

At the end of the debate, the senate mandated the ministry of transportation and NRC to repair the Itakpe–Warri rail line, improve safety measures, and deploy additional rolling stock.

The upper chamber also empowered its committee on land transport to conduct an on-the-spot assessment of the affected routes and submit a detailed technical report.

It further resolved to investigate all railway projects executed during the Buhari administration—including funding sources, contract awards, and construction standards—and endorsed the creation of a National Rail Safety and Standards Unit.

Akpabio vowed that the senate would “dig deep, expose corruption, and ensure that those who mismanaged Nigeria’s rail projects are held to account”.

“We owe Nigerians the truth,” he said.

“We must unravel the mystery behind these failing rail lines and ensure that those who ruined them do not escape scrutiny or return to power to repeat the same mistakes.”