Nigeria Infrastructure New Opportunities Open Up for Rail Projects

Nigeria is set to open opportunities for new rail projects at sub-national level, due largely to a constitutional amendment signed into law by President Buhari which removes the federal governments exclusive purview over railway construction, maintenance, and operation. On March 17, 2023, President Buhari signed the Fifth Alteration (No. 16), a measure which alters the constitution to move the item “railways” from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List. The 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria contains 68 items in the exclusive legislative on which only the Federal Government of Nigeria can legislate, including railways. The Concurrent Legislative List provides for items which the federal and state governments can legislate on. The new law empowers Nigerian states which have in the past pushed for authorization to build independent railway transport systems to connect states and regions.

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