The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, made the remark on the floor of the Senate while inaugurating an ad hoc committee to investigate the challenges facing Nigeria’s rail services.
“If you are using a bicycle, you will get to Kaduna from Abuja faster than the train,” Akpabio said.
The committee, chaired by former Edo State Governor, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, has been given six weeks to examine rail operations, assess the quality of equipment in use and review the efficiency of management overseeing the sector.
The probe followed growing complaints by lawmakers over what they described as a sharp decline in services along the once-celebrated Abuja–Kaduna–Kano rail corridor.
Raising the issue at plenary, Senator Abdul Ningi recounted his recent experience on the route, noting that journeys which initially lasted about 90 minutes now stretch beyond three hours.
“When the railway started, it was one and a half hours to Kaduna. Last week, we spent three and a half hours,” Ningi said.
“People had no alternative. This situation is deeply disturbing.”
