Worried by repeated derailments, vandalism, and mechanical failures on the Itakpe–Warri rail corridor, the Senate, on Tuesday, resolved to launch a full-scale investigation into the railway projects executed under the former President, Late Muhammadu Buhari.
The Senate took the decision following a motion sponsored by Senator Ede Dafinone (Delta Central), who brought to the attention of his colleagues, the “disturbing and persistent technical breakdowns” on the Warri-Itakpe standard gauge rail line.
The red chamber specifically set up an adhoc committee to carry out a comprehensive probe into the projects and submit a report within six weeks.
Presenting the motion, Dafinone said that the line, which was commissioned with great national excitement only a few years ago, had become a source of public concern due to the frequency of derailments and service disruptions.
He observed that the Itakpe–Warri railway line, completed under the Buhari administration, had recorded not fewer than ten derailments and several service interruptions between 2023 and 2025.
According to the politician, these incidents, occurring in quick succession, have endangered passengers, undermined confidence in the country’s rail transport system, and raised serious questions about the quality of engineering, supervision, and maintenance of the project.
The lawmaker, therefore, urged the Federal Ministry of Transportation and the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) to immediately undertake an independent technical assessment of the Itakpe–Warri corridor to determine the root causes of the failures and implement corrective measures without delay.
He also called on the Senate Committee on Land Transport to conduct an on-the-spot oversight visit to the affected areas, particularly the Agbor section in Delta State, and submit a comprehensive technical and safety report.
Dafinone further sought the establishment of a National Rail Safety and Standards Unit to carry out periodic safety audits, enforce compliance with international best practices, and ensure accountability and transparency across all national rail corridors.
He also recommended that the federal government accelerate the extension of the Itakpe line to Abuja, in line with existing feasibility and design studies, to ease passenger congestion and improve service reliability.
Contributing to the motion, Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central), who supported the motion, lamented the scale of the failures, describing them as a national embarrassment that speaks volumes about the inefficiency of those managing the rail sector.
He regretted that the government had borrowed huge sums to build the railway lines under the previous administration, yet the projects were already collapsing within a short time.
Senator Patrick Ndubueze (Imo North) also supported the motion and called for a total reorganisation of the NRC, arguing that the Corporation had failed to live up to its mandate and needed urgent reform.
According to him, Nigeria cannot achieve an efficient and safe transport system when a key agency like the NRC operates below acceptable standards.
Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Ogun West) said the repeated failures of the Itakpe–Warri line demanded transparency and accountability, urging the Senate to find out exactly how much was borrowed and spent on the project, who handled the contracts, and whether due process was followed.
He noted that the recurring mechanical and technical faults might be the result of substandard work or poor supervision during construction.
Other Senators who spoke during the debate emphasised the need to extend the probe to all railway projects executed during the Buhari administration, saying that it was important to determine whether the derailments and mechanical breakdowns were isolated to the Itakpe–Warri corridor or reflected a wider pattern of substandard implementation in Nigeria’s railway sector.
Also making contribution to the debate, Senator Babangida Hussaini (Jigawa North-West) said the problem with Nigeria’s railway projects lay in poor project conception and weak maintenance culture.
Hussaini added that the poor state of the railways had also worsened the condition of Nigerian roads, as the bulk of cargo and freight that should move by train continues to be transported on highways, causing rapid deterioration.
After extensive deliberations, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, who presided over the session, commended his colleagues for the robust debate and described the motion as timely and necessary to protect lives, restore service reliability, and safeguard national investments.
He said the Senate would not treat the matter lightly, given the loss of public funds and growing safety risks.
Akpabio said, “This is not a partisan issue. The derailments began even before this administration took office. We must find out what went wrong, from how the loans were obtained to how the projects were executed and maintained. The Nigerian people deserve answers.”
