Still on the Kano light rail project

In addition to the increasing number of overhead bridges and underpasses within Kano, the state government has again conceived and is about to begin the construction of the 75 Kilometre Kano Light Rail at the huge sum of $1.85B. Indeed, besides facilitating the easy flow of traffic, they also give us the pride of having yet another of the trappings of a world class modern city.
However, viewed against the background of our current economic realities and more urgent priorities, the wisdom in embarking on such an expensive project at this material time, needs to be questioned. Moreover, except for a curious obsession with grandiose projects, much of the welfare issues in public transportation, patronised by the vast majority of our peoples have been overlooked. This project therefore, for all we can judge, is not so much to foster the people’s welfare as to serve some yet unknown interests of the powers that be.

Obviously, sanitation counts first, then of course sanity or precisely decency as far as the densely populated Central Business District, (CBD), of Kano Metropolis is concerned. The CBD comprises an area of less than three kilometre radius with the Ado Bayero Junction on Ibrahim Taiwo Road as the centre. It is indeed a far cry from the basic standards of a healthy environment for decent business activities. Aggravated by overcrowding, it constitutes the dirtiest part of Kano. There is a rapid accumulation of wastes from trading and other human activities which usually takes a long time to evacuate. The air too, is heavily polluted with dust and from exhaust smoke of numerous vehicles as well as widely used electric generating sets. And to make matters worse, pedestrians, hawkers and sedentary traders contend with vehicles; parked and moving for the ever shrinking streets and pavements making the area a chaotic frenzy and adding to the risk exposures in safety, health and fire hazards.

Currently, the stark reality is that, with federal allocations reduced by more than 60%, the state is now financially poorer. And because it is planned to link areas already served by existing network of roads, the Light Rail is by that fact, at least for now, an unnecessary duplication.
Indeed much as I tried, I cannot figure out exactly the urgent problems which the project will solve for us now, making it ever more disagreeable. Besides, making the already overcrowded Bata Junction its point of convergence will further worsen the very congestion difficulties it is supposed to solve.
Particular mention can be made of our justice delivery system. It will certainly foster the welfare of more citizens to make justice delivery not only easier, faster and more efficient, but also more cheaply accessible to the poorest citizens than what obtains now.

Owing to the population increase, Kano should be made to expand outwards in its size. The markets within the CBD need to be broken down into smaller ones and together with a needed, but unavailable, Warehousing Estate be located in the suburbs to restrict articulated vehicles from driving directly into the CBD.
In conclusion, governments should not set up businesses for profits. In this our clime at least, they have a consistent record of failure from inefficient and fraudulent management. This tendency has not changed significantly enough to justify borrowing such a huge amount for the Light Rail project. For now, they should rather focus on efficient delivery of realistic welfare services in accord with our most urgent needs and the diligent enforcement of its regulations.

Mustapha Aminu Yusuf,
Kano