It was thought that the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Nigeria temporarily shut it down, and so after four years of abandonment, the Abuja light rail service, which had cost $823 million to build will come back to life within eight weeks.

The FCT Minister, Mr Nyesome Wike who received the Belgian Ambassador to Nigeria on Wednesday had told the guest that train rides on the existing light rail routes would be resuscitated soon after a May inauguration by President Bola Tinubu.

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Before the announcement, the Abuja light rail which costs the country $50 million every year had been giving the vibes of another white elephant project. So far, only two phases of the entire project scope have been fulfilled.

From the main Abuja city centre, residents can hop on a train that takes them to the Nnamdi Azikiwe airport, letting them evade any road traffic that might have been building. A $500 million loan from the Export-Import Bank of China made that happen but only temporarily.

Speaking to Ambassador Pieter Leenknegt, Mr Wike shared that when we came on board, we found out that the Abuja Light Rail was not functional and we felt that it [would] be a good thing for the people if we decongest the city by putting it to function.

So, President Bola Tinubu directed that whatever can be done, should be done, so that in his one year in office, the light rail will come on board for the use of the residents.

The people can use it [to go] out of the city, going to the airport and other area councils, and instead of going with their vehicles, they can take the train.

I can announce to you that we are almost there. The company handling the project, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), is almost 95 per cent completed.

By the grace of God, we believe that in May, Mr President will inaugurate it.

If the train service inauguration goes on as anticipated, that would make it three months since President Bola Tinubu last commissioned one.

On Thursday, 29 February, a remarkably exceptional day on the calendar, the megacity of Lagos was the one playing host when the president dropped by to commission the Chinese-built Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) Red Line. This was happening 22 years since the president, although then the Lagos State governor, signed the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) bill.

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That moment in history is now being celebrated as the single act that brought on the massive development noticeable with the city’s transport infrastructure.

Under Bola Tinubu as the President of Nigeria, and the former Rivers State Governor, Nyesome Wike administering the Federal Capital Territory, there is an attempt to close gaps in mobility through the city’s train.