No fewer than 803 firms have bid for various contracts in the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) for the 2025 fiscal year. 

NRC unveiled the firms which submitted applications for various contracts at the bid opening held at its headquarters in Lagos.

The number of firms was higher compared to 524 that applied in 2024.

Speaking on the surge in the number of firms bidding for contracts, the Managing Director of the NRC, Dr Kayode Opeifa, stated that this was due to the confidence they have in the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The MD, who was represented by the Director, Medical Services, Mr Albert Asowata, said, the new NRC management has undertaken programmes to expand the scope of railway across the country.

Daily Trust reports that NRC was allocated N39,180,078,449 in the 2025 budget signed by President Tinubu.

In the budget, the government made allocation for the completion of Abuja-Kaduna Railway project, Lagos-Ibadan and its associated additional works, among others, according to the 2025 Appropriation Bill presented to the National Assembly recently by President Tinubu.

Other projects in the budget included the rehabilitation of Itakpe-Ajaokuta Rail Line and Construction of 12 Nos Station Buildings and Track Laying works at Railway Ancillary Facilities Areas Agbor; Completion of Addendum 2A and Railway Ancillary Facilities Areas Agbor and Design, Manufacture, Supply and Installation of Rolling Stock, Supply of Spare Parts and Maintenance Equipment for the Ongoing Railway Modernization Project.

“Our scope has been expanded. There are many programs the MD has launched. One of such programmes is the railing with the states. All the State governments are now keying into railways.

“Just three days ago, the federal government said that the Kano-Maradi rail line will be completed in 2026.

“That shows that there is renewed vigour and hope to expand the rail industry, to move the country forward.”

Opeifa also assured all the bidders that the bid opening ceremony will be conducted in an unbiased, transparent and efficient manner by a well-trained team.

“The critical areas that we are looking at for this fiscal year are on wash-out in civil works, bridges and culverts.

“This is because most of the tracks are already washed out by heavy rains. We are trying to ensure that all the wash-outs are taken care of,” The NRC MD added.

The bidding process had independent observers like the Civil Liberty Organisation (CLO), Nigerian Network of NGOs, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Chartered Institute for Purchasing and Supply Management, amongst others, in attendance.

[DailyTrust]