Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Transportation says the Kaduna–Zaria–Kano standard-gauge rail project is approximately 90 per cent complete. Permanent Secretary Funso Adebiyi gave the assessment during an inspection on October 23, travelling by train from Jaji towards Kano. The account was published by the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation. The reported completion figure is an official estimate; the release does not provide an independently audited progress certificate or a full breakdown by civil works, track, signalling and stations.

Adebiyi praised the inspected rail alignment, drainage, embankment protection, stone pitching and soil stabilisation. He said some elevation changes reach six metres or more, making compaction and protection important for durability. The inspected section covered about 145 kilometres of the larger 200-kilometre route, and the ministry said roughly 10 kilometres remained on that stretch. The same release identifies unresolved land acquisition and compensation claims within Kaduna metropolis as a key obstacle to finishing the connection between Jaji and the Abuja–Kaduna corridor.

The government’s stated objective is continuous passenger rail travel from Abuja through Kaduna and Zaria to Kano. Achieving that service depends on more than the progress percentage: the missing link must be completed, the line’s systems and stations must be ready, and operational testing and approvals must follow. The ministry said the inspection included track geometry, alignment, drainage and concrete works, and was intended to assess quality ahead of finalisation and test runs. It did not announce a confirmed start date for passenger services.

The permanent secretary also said the project sections from Kano through Kazaure and Daura to Katsina were targeted for completion by December, with work continuing around the clock. Those segments are distinct from the inspected Kaduna–Kano line and should not be conflated with its 90 per cent estimate. The release contains no updated project cost, financing balance or revised opening schedule for each segment.

The corridor is presented as infrastructure to improve connections among commercial centres and provide an alternative to road travel. The remaining compensation issue is a practical reminder that construction progress and public access are separate milestones: a railway can be largely built while land claims and integration works delay an uninterrupted route. Further official updates would need to clarify compensation resolution, completion certification, test results and the date when through-services can begin.