January 19, 2021
Railways in Nigeria dates back to the 19th century when the first railroad was constructed in 1898 under British colonial rule before the modern country was created in 1914. But over decades, after the 1955 enactment of the Nigerian Railway Corporation Act failed to result in the emergence of a robust system, the railway network has crumbled.
Its woes peaked in 1988 when the corporation declared bankruptcy and even though there have been several failed attempts to resurrect the service, none has been as extensive as the current multibillion-dollar overhaul effort by president Buhari’s government being led by Chinese funding and expertise, like elsewhere in Africa.