Transport minister refutes claims of high-speed rail approval

By Nnasom David

The Federal Ministry of Transportation has dismissed reports claiming that a high-speed bullet train linking Lagos and Abuja is set to cut travel time between both cities to just two to three hours. In a statement issued by the ministry’s management, it was clarified that the news report, published by a major news media (not Vanguard) on February 18, 2025, was false and misleading.

The report alleged that Nigeria’s transport sector was undergoing a revolution with the imminent launch of the bullet train, citing the Director of Operations at Geofocus Consortium, Engineer Yinka Idris, as its source.

The ministry confirmed that Geofocus Consortium had submitted an unsolicited proposal for the Lagos-Abuja bullet train project in 2016 under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model with 100% private sector financing.

However, it was only in 2024 that the Outline Business Case (OBC) for the project was forwarded to the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) for due diligence.

“The ICRC responded with a request for a support letter from their financiers, which they have yet to provide.

“The company is aware that the ICRC has not granted approval on the OBC, particularly regarding proof of funds, which is necessary before proceeding to submit a Full Business Case (FBC),” the statement read.

The ministry stressed that claims about the completion of feasibility studies and proof of funds were entirely false.

“These statements exist only in the imagination of the company,” the ministry stated, adding that until all requirements are met, no memo can be submitted to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for approval.

Given the misleading nature of the report, the ministry demanded that Geofocus Consortium issue a public apology to both the Federal Ministry of Transportation and Nigerians for spreading inaccurate information.

“We urge the public to ignore this fake news. For credibility and professionalism, journalists and media outlets should always seek official clarification before publishing reports,” the ministry stated.