Abuja — The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) says it will transition the country’s rail network to full electric traction within the next five years, a flagship goal in its new “Vision 2-5-10-20” development roadmap.
Managing Director/CEO, Dr. Kayode Opeifa, announced the plan on Wednesday at the 7th National Transport Conference of the Chartered Institute of Transport Administration (CIOTA) in Abuja, according to a statement by NRC spokesperson Callistus Unyimadu.
Under the framework, the NRC plans to:
- Optimize national rail assets in two years
- Achieve full electric traction by year five
- Double national rail capacity by year 10
- Expand the network to at least 60,000 km within 20 years
Opeifa said electrification will cut operating costs, improve reliability, and sharply reduce the environmental footprint of rail transport. “This transition is central to modernizing our rail system and delivering faster, cleaner services across the country,” he noted.
He added that states along federal rail corridors—including Lagos, Plateau, Ogun, Oyo, Edo, Delta, Kogi, Kaduna, Kano, and Niger—can leverage existing infrastructure “at no additional cost,” following legislative changes that place rail development on the concurrent list and open the door to sub-national participation. “Lagos and Plateau are already taking advantage of this policy; we encourage other states to key into the initiative,” he said.
Beyond passenger upgrades, the NRC is expanding freight-by-rail, moving growing volumes of containerized cargo, gypsum, soda ash, cement, metal coils, and materials for the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) gas pipeline. The corporation says the push will decongest roads, lower logistics costs, and improve supply-chain resilience for industry.
While the Vision 2-5-10-20 blueprint sets aggressive targets, Opeifa framed it as a coordinated national effort, inviting partnerships with state governments and the private sector to accelerate delivery. “This roadmap ensures states can fully access and utilize national rail assets,” he said, emphasizing that electrification and capacity doubling are designed to move Nigeria toward a safer, greener, and more competitive transport backbone.
