Jonathan and Buhari Administration’s Involvement of China in the Modernization of the Nigerian Railway

The administration of Jonathan and Buhari respectively, explored the Sino- Nigeria relation to foster development of the Nigeria infrastructure. China over the years has been actively involved in the modernization of the Nigerian railway sector since 1995. China brought an absolute overhaul transformation to the Nigerian railway through the engagement of President Jonathan and Buhari. The paper identified the early intervention of China in the Nigerian railway; it also identified the crucial role of the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) as the key player in the modernization. The paper also examined how One Belt, One Road (OBOR) has effectively galvanized the engagement of China in developing railway partnership globally and how the two administrations maximized this policy. The two administrations successfully signed various projects with China and ensured the execution. Although there were major challenges identified by the administrations but the Buhari administration ensured to complete major railway projects that started during Jonathan’s tenure. The purpose of this article is to investigate the extent of the contribution of the two Nigerian presidents to transform the railway through China’s service. The paper adopted the historical analytical method to anal and present data. It concluded that the both administration’s commitment to railway transformation was commendable and if other subsequent leaders in Nigeria would adopt their interest in infrastructure, railway in Nigeria in the coming years will become a global model.