The Federal Government has given reasons for staying action on the reopening of the Abuja-Kaduna passenger train service, following the March 28 attack by terrorists.
Some of the passengers abducted from the train are still in the captivity of the bandits.
But the government said it would, in the next one month, be able to determine when the suspended train service should resume.
Transportation Minister Muazu Sambo announced this while addressing State House correspondents at the end of the week’s hybrid Federal Executive Council (FEC), presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa on Wednesday in Abuja.
The minister, who was responding to a question on when the railway service would reopen, noted that it would be insensitive of government to reopen the tarin service when many families were still in trauma over the abduction of their loved ones on the route.
Sambo said besides being made to free the remaining victims from captivity, the Federal Government had also been working round the clock to find technology-based solutions that will make the nation’s railway services more secure and prevent a recurrence of the Kaduna-bound train attack.
Responding to the question of the suspension of the train service, Sambo said: “I have said it in the past that it is better to save the life of one Nigerian …than risk the lives of many Nigerians.
“There are two core matters at the heart of the resumption of the Abuja-Kaduna rail services. These core issues are: One, families are traumatised over their loved ones that are still in captivity.
“Two, we need to have a surveillance and monitoring system on the rail track that would ensure that such incidents never happen again.
“So, we are pursuing these two things at the same time, trying to get the victims of the kidnap released and at the same time looking for the best solution in terms of surveillance.
“We are looking at so many options. We want to go for the best one, a sustainable one. Don’t forget, ultimately, whatever we have as a template between Abuja and Kaduna that succeeds would also serve the thousands of kilometres of rail lines across the country. I think this is as much as I will give,” he said.
When pressed further to give more accurate timelines on when Nigerians should expect to see the trains back on their tracks, he said: “If I give you a timeline now, I’ll be lying to you.
“But I can tell you one thing: we are working day and night. We are looking at solutions that are technology-based, and you know technology changes every day.
“At the same time, don’t forget: for goodness sake, wouldn’t it be insensitive of us to resume these services, even if security surveillance was in place, as long as some citizens of this country spend days and nights weeping over their loved ones that are held in the bush?
“There is a solution that the Kano State government has employed for the Felgore Forest, sanctioned by the Directorate of State Services (DSS). We are looking at that. We are also mindful of the costs.
“Now, if for example, you’re going to spend between N3 billion and N9 billion, just to provide surveillance or monitoring system along the Abuja-Kaduna rail line alone, how much is government going to spend for the entire country?”
