RE: CHANGE! KANO-LAGOS RAIL
DWhile the laying of the tracks of spiritual enlightenment was started in 1804 across Black Africa by the founders of the Sokoto Caliphate, in 1863 (just 41 years later), the first underground railway was commissioned in London. Similarly, around 1863, the construction of London underground sewer system (1859-1865) with 450 miles (720 km) of main sewers that, in turn, conveyed the contents of some 13,000 miles (21,000 km) of smaller local sewers reached the half-mark stage.
Across the Atlantic in the United States, in the same year (1863), Chinese labourers (80% of the total workforce) working in slave conditions started the historic overland railroad known as transcontinental or Pacific railroad, with a length of 3,069 km. Constructed by three private companies, the railroad runs from Sacramento (California) to Council Bluffs (Iowa). The meeting point of the East to West railroad is Promontory Summit (Utah). (The construction was done in sections as described in en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/First_Transcontinental_ Railroad#Laborers.
Both the London Underground, the London sewers and the Pacific railroad were carried out in ‘sections and segments’ by crews working from multiple (extreme and midway) points and in opposite directions.
The fact that all the London sewers connected at the specified design points using rudimentary survey and construction tools and working deep below the bowels of the city in absolute darkness was considered one of the major engineering feats in history. Sadly, 150 years after the completion of the London sewers, Jakara in Kano and the entire Hausa cities still stink, because no functional underground or over-ground sewers exist.
For the Pacific Railroad, the completion of the project 1863-1869 (in 6 years, 511km per year), was an excruciating schedule, considering the machinery of the period, and numerous engineering challenges and natural obstacles (tunnels, bridges, weather conditions, mountains, deserts, etc.). Many agree that the success of the project was made possible by executing works from both sides and moving in opposite directions from Sacramento to Promontory and Council Bluffs to Promontory Summit (East-West and West-East vice-versa).
It is almost 153 years since the London Underground and USA Pacific Railroad were completed, and both are still in use, while the old rail line from Lagos to Kano, built a few years after the conquest of Sokoto in 1903, is in complete disrepair.
Established engineering practice of segmenting railroad construction works remains the preferred norm; this will be particularly preferred in Nigeria where project schedules and costs are sensitive, and where political caprices and tenure ends mean abandoned projects. In addition any schedule delays serve as the proverbial ‘cracks where the giant Komodo dragon lizards feed’, and open lofty doors to the corruption havens populated by the high and mighty elites.
Therefore, to ensure the successful completion of the 1,250km LagosKano rail project, the Chinese contractors must refer to the mighty feat accomplished by the Chinese labourers during the Pacific Railroad project. Similar to the Pacific railroad and with NO additional cost, the Lagos-Kano construction teams and subgroups can perform work to suit project progress along the route; for example:
Team 1: Lagos-Ibadan and IbadanLagos (total length 150-200km)
Team 2: Jebba-Ibadan and IbadanJebba (total length 250-300km)
Team 3: Kano-Kaduna and Kaduna-Kano (total length 230250km)
Team 4: Kaduna-Jebba
The railroad project entails site grubbing, earthworks, tunnelling, embankments, as well as the actual track laying. The weather and the natural terrain (soggy grounds. ravens, water erosion etc.) in most parts of the South West will render several of the works impossible for days and weeks (e.g. cutting and back-filling, compaction as CBR levels unachievable, concrete pour delays, track laying etc.), resulting in schedule slippage and any recovery plans is also exposed to inclement weather and other associated risks and subsequent budget overruns. But the terrain and weather in the North is ideal for construction work and except for isolated geotechnical/geological surprises, the schedule could be Jebba-Kaduna and (total length 460500km) maintained, with little or no disruptions (concrete curing and full strength in 3 or 7 days instead of 28 days is not uncommon).
Beside the schedule savings, there are huge cost benefits to Nigeria and Chinese creditors in sharing project resources (when Lagos end does not need certain excavation/compaction/ mixing machinery and personnel may be moved to Ibadan or Jebba , instead of idle/standby time which is already paid/included in the contract); bridge and tunnels works and other enabling works will be completed ahead of commencement of other related activities on the critical path, completed sections may be put into operation and also serve other sundry works and as conduit for project staff/camps as well as punch-list items could be identified/ resolved during this interim period, saving 3 to 6 or more months work.
The overall savings and actual benefits to the Lagos-Kano rail when multiple and opposite work fronts are deployed outweigh any perceived cost increase. In cases where cost increases are genuine and unavoidable, the resultant increase could be mitigated or cushioned by using various project planning techniques available to the client (Nigeria) and Chinese contractors, whose culture strictly promote and adheres to the universal saying: if education (development) is expensive try ignorance (under-development).
Great idea. What is good for the goose must be good for the gander. It is a fact that Nigerians have changed an incumbent government for a better one. Therefore, when it comes to the distribution of development among the citizenry, it must be done equitably. It is very important that government considers votes contributed, for it would come again seeking the same votes!
Wishful thinking. ‘Those close to Mallam Umaru’ would never ‘tell the world what really happened’ with regard to the cancellation of the first Kano-Lagos rail contract. They were the same ones who advised the cancellation of the Mambilla hydroelectric dam project awarded to the Chinese who would mostly fund it. They proffered as reason that the contract did not follow ‘due process’, that nebulous concept used to abort any decision or project not favoured by those in position of authority.
Inspiring article! You have done your bit; now left for our lame northern politicians to ignite the call for the actualisation of the project from both ends!
Very apt! A matter for all our leaders in the north, councillor to president, ward heads to emirs, to think about and sound a clarion call to wake us from slumber. In fact every project in the federal budget should begin from these two ends. You spoke our minds! Apart from the inequity of starting from only one end, another negative multiplier effect that may result from this is the likelihood that the manpower used in the first phase (Lagos-Ibadan) will then be deployed to the Kano-Kaduna axis during that phase, and they will claim ‘experienced labour.’ Then even the expected jobs will not accrue to us!
Thanks for this timely reminder. I assure you that those who should know have known, and I’m confident that something will be done about it, in sha Allah. BY ABDULKAREEM BABA AMINU