The Senate Tuesday set – up 11- man ad – hoc committee to carry out a full-scale investigation into the railway projects executed under the former President, late Muhammadu Buhari, following repeated derailments, vandalism, and mechanical failures on the Itakpe–Warri rail corridor.
The decision came after a motion sponsored by Senator Ede Dafinone (Delta Central), who drew attention to the “disturbing and persistent technical breakdowns” on the Warri-Itakpe standard gauge rail line.
Members of the committee headed by Senator Adams Oshiomhole ( Edo North) are Senators Huseini Babaginda, Adamu Aliero, Wasiu Eshinlokun, Osita Ngwu, Adeola Solomon, Ibrahim Dankwabo, Ireti Kingibe and Sahabi Yau.
Dafinone, in his motion, said 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 noted that the Itakpe–Warri railway line, completed under the Buhari administration, has recorded not fewer than ten derailments and several service interruptions between 2023 and 2025.
He said 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.
He 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.
Dafinone also called for 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.
Supporting the motion, Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central) 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 said 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.
He said, “This is not about politics. The government borrowed billions of dollars to construct these lines, yet they are failing barely two years after completion.
“We cannot continue to waste public funds and endanger lives because of negligence and mismanagement. Those responsible must be held to account.”
Senator Patrick Ndubueze (Imo North) also supported the motion and called for a total reorganisation of the NRC.
He argued that the corporation had failed to live up to its mandate and needed urgent reform.
Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Ogun West) said the repeated failures of the Itakpe–Warri line demanded transparency and accountability.
He urged 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.
They said 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.
After extensive deliberations, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, who presided over the session, said the Senate would not treat the matter lightly, given the loss of public funds and growing safety risks.
“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,” he said.
At the end of the debate, the Senate adopted a comprehensive resolution mandating the Federal Ministry of Transportation and the NRC to immediately fix the Itakpe–Warri line, deploy more coaches, and improve safety standards.
It also directed the Senate Committee on Land Transport to conduct a full-scale investigation into all railway projects executed during the Buhari administration, with particular attention to project funding, implementation standards, and maintenance practices.
Lawmakers further endorsed the establishment of a National Rail Safety and Standards Unit to monitor all rail operations nationwide and ensure compliance with international best practices.
.
