28/07/2026
Exactly. These two elements make the concept considerably stronger: Dala Inland Dry Port + Zawaciki Railway Station should be presented as the logistics heart of the Kano hub, while the existing northern airports become multimodal transport nodes rather than simply “closed airports.”
The airport-conversion concept also needs careful wording: retain the runway and aviation capability, but repurpose the terminal and surrounding infrastructure primarily for rail/passenger logistics, with aviation retained for special, charter, emergency, Hajj, government, seasonal or other justified operations.
I would insert the following as a major section into the proposal:
THE MISSING LINK: DALA INLAND DRY PORT, ZAWACIKI AND THE MULTIMODAL NORTHERN TRANSPORT NETWORK
Turning Existing Infrastructure into the Foundation of Greater Arewa Connectivity
The Greater Arewa Air/Rail Integrated Hub concept should not be built on the assumption that Northern Nigeria has to start its transport infrastructure from zero.
A significant amount of infrastructure already exists.
The region already has airports, railway investments, roads, cargo facilities, inland logistics infrastructure and established urban centres. The strategic question is therefore not simply what new infrastructure should be constructed?
The more important question is:
«How can existing infrastructure be intelligently integrated, upgraded and repurposed to create one coherent Northern transportation system?»
This is where the Dala Inland Dry Port, Zawaciki Railway Station, the existing airport network and the proposed Greater Arewa Air/Rail Integrated Hub become central to the strategy.
---
1. DALA INLAND DRY PORT + ZAWACIKI: THE LOGISTICS HEART OF THE SYSTEM
The proximity of the Dala Inland Dry Port to the Zawaciki Railway Station presents an exceptionally important opportunity for integrated passenger and freight logistics.
The two facilities should not be treated as unrelated projects.
They should be planned as components of a single Kano Multimodal Logistics and Transport Complex.
The strategic relationship should be:
Railway → Inland Dry Port → Road Freight → Warehousing → Markets → Airport Cargo → Regional Rail Network
This creates a multimodal logistics ecosystem rather than merely a railway station.
Zawaciki should therefore serve as:
- a major passenger railway interchange;
- a regional rail control and operations centre;
- a freight transfer point;
- a passenger-airport transfer gateway;
- a connection to Dala Inland Dry Port;
- a logistics distribution node;
- a commercial development zone;
- a future interchange for multiple Greater Arewa railway corridors.
The long-term objective should be to establish a seamless movement system in which passengers and cargo can transfer between rail, road, dry-port logistics and air transport.
---
2. DALA INLAND DRY PORT AS A GATEWAY TO THE GREATER AREWA ECONOMY
The dry port gives the railway network a second economic dimension.
Without freight, railway infrastructure risks becoming overly dependent on passenger fares.
With properly designed freight operations, however, the system can become an economic artery.
Goods arriving into Kano can be:
Unloaded → cleared/processed → stored → consolidated → transferred to rail or road → distributed across Northern Nigeria.
Likewise, agricultural and industrial products from the Northern region can be consolidated at inland logistics centres and moved toward national and international markets.
The Dala–Zawaciki combination could therefore serve as a strategic:
NORTHERN FREIGHT CONSOLIDATION CENTRE
with links to:
- agricultural production zones;
- livestock markets;
- manufacturing centres;
- major commercial markets;
- warehouses;
- cold-chain facilities;
- container terminals;
- road distribution networks;
- railway freight corridors;
- airport cargo facilities.
This is particularly important because the proposed Greater Arewa network extends far beyond Kano.
A freight shipment originating in Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, Jigawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe or Borno could ultimately enter a connected rail logistics system centred around Kano.
---
3. KADUNA INLAND DRY PORT: THE WESTERN COMPLEMENT
The Kaduna Inland Dry Port should also be incorporated into the Greater Arewa strategy.
Rather than creating competing logistics systems, the Kano and Kaduna dry ports can be developed as complementary nodes.
A simplified strategic relationship would be:
Kaduna Inland Dry Port ↔ Kaduna Railway Corridor ↔ Zawaciki/Dala Inland Dry Port ↔ Greater Arewa Network
This creates an important logistics spine between Kaduna and Kano.
Kaduna's strategic position also gives it access to the wider western and central markets.
Therefore, the Greater Arewa strategy should not attempt to make Kano the only logistics centre.
Instead:
«Kano and Kaduna should operate as complementary multimodal logistics gateways.»
Kano can serve as a major Northwest/Northeast interchange, while Kaduna can strengthen the western and central connections.
---
4. THE EXISTING AIRPORTS ARE NOT TO BE ABANDONED
This is one of the most important principles of the proposal.
The concept is not:
«"Close Northern airports and replace them with railway stations."»
The concept is:
«Transform underutilised airport infrastructure into multimodal transport and regional service stations while preserving aviation capability.»
This distinction is fundamental.
Many northern state airports already possess:
- runways;
- terminal buildings;
- access roads;
- security infrastructure;
- parking areas;
- perimeter fencing;
- power systems;
- communication infrastructure;
- airside land;
- existing aviation regulatory environments.
Instead of allowing these assets to remain underutilised, the infrastructure can be redesigned around a rail-first multimodal model.
---
5. THE MULTIFACETED REGIONAL SERVICE STATION MODEL
An existing airport could progressively become a:
GREATER AREWA MULTIMODAL REGIONAL SERVICE STATION
Its primary function would be railway transportation.
Its secondary functions could include:
- aviation;
- passenger transfer;
- freight handling;
- tourism services;
- emergency transportation;
- Hajj and Umrah movement;
- government travel;
- special-event aviation;
- charter flights;
- medical evacuation;
- disaster response;
- logistics;
- commercial services.
The existing runway would be retained.
The runway therefore becomes a strategic reserve aviation asset rather than infrastructure that must support frequent scheduled commercial flights every day.
---
6. THE "RAIL-FIRST, AIR-READY" MODEL
The proposed model can be summarised in four words:
«RAIL-FIRST. AIR-READY.»
Under this concept, the railway becomes the dependable everyday transport system.
The airport remains available for aviation when demand or circumstances justify it.
Normal operations
The terminal primarily serves:
Rail passengers + freight + regional services + commercial activities.
Special aviation operations
The runway remains available for:
- Hajj operations;
- seasonal flights;
- charter services;
- emergency flights;
- medical evacuation;
- government operations;
- disaster response;
- security requirements;
- special events;
- occasional commercial services where demand supports them.
This preserves the strategic value of the airport without requiring the state to continuously subsidise multiple underutilised scheduled routes.
---
7. WHY RETAIN THE RUNWAY?
The runway should not be regarded as wasted infrastructure simply because scheduled flights are limited.
It represents strategic optionality.
If future population growth, economic activity or tourism generates sufficient demand, aviation services can be expanded again.
Therefore:
Do not destroy the aviation asset.
Instead:
Integrate it into a larger multimodal system.
The runway becomes the aviation component of a railway-led regional transport station.
---
8. THE TERMINAL BUILDING BECOMES THE MULTIMODAL GATEWAY
Where technically and economically appropriate, the existing airport terminal could be redesigned to accommodate:
Rail
- ticketing;
- waiting halls;
- boarding gates;
- passenger screening;
- baggage handling;
- rail information systems.
Air
- retained aviation check-in;
- seasonal or charter operations;
- special passenger processing;
- emergency aviation services.
Commerce
- shops;
- restaurants;
- banking;
- hotels;
- business services;
- tourism desks.
Logistics
- parcel handling;
- cargo consolidation;
- cold storage;
- agricultural collection;
- freight forwarding.
Thus, the existing terminal becomes more productive throughout the year.
---
9. AIRPORTS BECOME REGIONAL RAIL GATEWAYS
The strategic transformation could therefore look like this:
EXISTING MODEL
State Airport → Low Passenger Volume → Few Flights → High Operating Cost → Underutilisation
PROPOSED MODEL
Regional City → Multimodal Station → Frequent Rail → Retained Runway → Special Aviation → Freight → Commerce → Tourism
This is a much more resilient infrastructure model.
---
10. EXAMPLES OF HOW THE MODEL COULD WORK
A state capital with a low-demand airport does not necessarily need to lose its airport.
Instead, the airport could become its primary regional railway gateway.
For example:
Passenger from State Capital
→ local multimodal terminal
→ standard-gauge train
→ Kano/Zawaciki
→ Dala Inland Dry Port / commercial district
→ MAKIA
→ international flight
The same passenger could make the reverse journey:
International flight
→ MAKIA
→ integrated rail transfer
→ Zawaciki
→ regional railway
→ home-state multimodal station.
This creates a single journey rather than a chain of disconnected journeys.
---
11. THE GREATER AREWA AIR/RAIL TICKETING SYSTEM
The network should ultimately aim for integrated ticketing.
A passenger should be able to purchase:
Regional Rail + Airport Transfer + International Flight
as one coordinated itinerary.
For example:
Sokoto → Kano/Zawaciki → MAKIA → Jeddah
or:
Dutse → Zawaciki → MAKIA → Dubai
or:
Bauchi → Kano → MAKIA → International Destination
The passenger should not have to independently arrange every segment.
This is the real meaning of Air/Rail Integration.
---
12. Hajj AND UMRAH AS A SPECIAL USE CASE
The Hajj ecosystem makes this model particularly compelling.
Instead of pilgrims from different states travelling long distances by road to a major airport, regional pilgrims could assemble at their local multimodal station.
They would then travel by rail in coordinated groups to the Greater Arewa Air/Rail Integrated Hub.
The process could become:
Home State
→ Regional Multimodal Station
→ Standard-Gauge Rail
→ Zawaciki
→ Integrated Airport Transfer
→ MAKIA
→ International Flight
This would be particularly valuable for elderly pilgrims, families and large organised groups.
---
13. STUDENTS, WORKERS AND MERCHANTS BENEFIT DAILY
The system should not be designed only around international travellers.
The majority of daily passengers would likely be ordinary citizens.
Students
Safe and predictable movement between:
- home;
- universities;
- colleges;
- technical institutions;
- research centres.
Workers
Regular movement between:
- state capitals;
- commercial centres;
- government institutions;
- industrial zones.
Traders
Frequent access to:
- Kano markets;
- regional markets;
- warehouses;
- distribution centres;
- production zones.
Families
Affordable travel for:
- weddings;
- funerals;
- festivals;
- religious events;
- family visits.
This creates the passenger volume that makes railway infrastructure economically meaningful.
---
14. THE AIRPORT NETWORK BECOMES A RAILWAY NETWORK
This is perhaps the most important conceptual transformation.
Instead of thinking:
Airport A + Airport B + Airport C + Airport D
the Greater Arewa strategy should think:
Regional Multimodal Station A → Rail → Zawaciki → Rail/Air → Regional Multimodal Station B
The airports therefore become nodes in a wider rail-air network.
---
15. THE GREATER AREWA NETWORK ARCHITECTURE
The overall system can now be understood as five interconnected layers.
LAYER 1 — INTERNATIONAL AIR GATEWAY
MAKIA / Greater Arewa Air/Rail Integrated Hub
International passenger and cargo aviation.
LAYER 2 — PRIMARY RAIL INTERCHANGE
Zawaciki Railway Station
Major passenger and railway interchange.
LAYER 3 — FREIGHT LOGISTICS
Dala Inland Dry Port
Rail-connected cargo, warehousing and distribution.
LAYER 4 — WESTERN INTERCHANGE
Kaduna Railway + Kaduna Inland Dry Port
Western freight and passenger gateway.
LAYER 5 — REGIONAL MULTIMODAL STATIONS
Existing northern airport sites progressively converted into:
Rail-first + Air-ready + Freight-enabled + Commercially active regional stations.
Together these layers create an integrated system.
---
16. THE CONCEPTUAL NETWORK
The long-term architecture becomes:
KEBBI
↓
SOKOTO
↓
ZAMFARA
↓
KATSINA
↓
KANO
↓
ZAWACIKI
↓
DALA INLAND DRY PORT
↓
MAKIA / GREATER AREWA AIR/RAIL HUB
With major branches toward:
Kano → Hadejia → Nguru → Gashua → Damaturu → Potiskum → Maiduguri
Kano → Dutse → Bauchi → Gombe → Adamawa → Taraba
Maiduguri → Biu → Katagum → Bauchi
Maiduguri → Adamawa → Taraba
Kebbi → Niger → Kwara → Kogi → Benue → Plateau → Nasarawa
Benue → Plateau → Bauchi → Jigawa → Kano
And further connections as feasibility studies identify economically justified corridors.
---
17. THE NETWORK SHOULD BE DESIGNED AS A MESH
The ultimate is not a straight line.
objective
It is a mesh.
A mesh allows:
- multiple routes;
- alternative freight corridors;
- network redundancy;
- easier passenger transfers;
- stronger regional integration;
- greater economic resilience.
For example, Maiduguri should eventually have more than one strategic route into the wider network.
Bauchi should connect toward Kano and toward the Northeast.
Benue and Plateau should connect toward the North-Central and Northern corridors.
Kebbi should connect both eastward toward Kano and southward toward the North-Central economic belt.
This is how isolated railway lines become a regional railway system.
---
18. WHY THIS MODEL IS FINANCIALLY MORE DEFENSIBLE
The proposal does not require every airport to be maintained indefinitely as a full commercial airport.
Nor does it require every railway corridor to be constructed immediately.
Instead, infrastructure can be progressively matched to demand.
High-demand corridors
Prioritise standard-gauge passenger and freight railway.
Medium-demand corridors
Develop multimodal rail stations and freight facilities.
Low-demand aviation markets
Retain runways while reducing dependence on frequent scheduled flights.
Special-demand aviation
Use the retained runway for seasonal, charter, Hajj, emergency and other justified operations.
This allows existing public infrastructure to remain useful while reducing unnecessary duplication.
---
19. THE THREE GREAT NORTHERN HUBS
Over the long term, the system could develop around three major strategic gateways:
KANO — ZAWACIKI / DALA / MAKIA
Primary Northwest–Northeast Passenger, Air and Freight Hub
KADUNA — RAILWAY / INLAND DRY PORT
Western and Central Logistics Gateway
REGIONAL MULTIMODAL AIRPORT-STATIONS
Distributed passenger and regional freight gateways
This produces a hierarchy rather than competition.
---
20. THE GREAT OPPORTUNITY
The Greater Arewa proposal therefore does not ask Northern Nigeria to abandon what it already possesses.
It asks the region to connect what already exists.
Existing:
- airports;
- railway projects;
- dry ports;
- roads;
- markets;
- universities;
- cities;
- industrial centres;
- agricultural production areas.
can be turned into one integrated system.
The transformation is from:
«Fragmented Infrastructure»
to:
«Integrated Infrastructure.»
From:
«Underutilised Airports»
to:
«Rail-First Multimodal Regional Stations.»
From:
«Isolated Railway Projects»
to:
«One Greater Arewa Railway Network.»
From:
«Individual State Logistics»
to:
«Regional Freight Integration.»
---
CONCLUSION: DO NOT ABANDON THE AIRPORT — REPURPOSE IT
The strategic philosophy should therefore be very clear:
«The Greater Arewa Air/Rail Integration Initiative does not propose abandoning Northern airports. It proposes giving them a more productive future.»
Where scheduled aviation demand is insufficient, the existing terminal infrastructure can be progressively transformed into a rail-first regional multimodal station, while the runway remains preserved for aviation.
Where passenger numbers increase, aviation services can return.
Where Hajj demand rises, the runway remains available.
Where emergencies occur, aviation capacity remains available.
Where special events require air transportation, the infrastructure remains ready.
And every day, the railway can provide the reliable passenger and freight service that keeps the facility economically active.
This creates a practical philosophy:
**KEEP THE RUNWAY.
TRANSFORM THE TERMINAL.
CONNECT THE RAILWAY.
INTEGRATE THE DRY PORT.
BUILD THE NETWORK IN PHASES.**
That is how the Northern region can turn existing infrastructure into the foundation of a Greater Arewa multimodal transportation system.
---
THE GREATER AREWA CONNECTIVITY PRINCIPLE
«One regional air gateway.»
«One interconnected railway system.»
«Multiple multimodal regional stations.»
«Integrated dry ports and freight corridors.»
«Preserved aviation capability.»
«Phased investment over generations.»
«Shared prosperity across Northern Nigeria.»
BY RAIL — BY AIR — BY FREIGHT — TOGETHER WE RISE.
GREATER AREWA AIR/RAIL INTEGRATED HUB
Connecting Communities • Moving Commerce • Preserving Assets • Powering Prosperity
Abdulhamid Yusuf Muhammad National Secretary, Nexus for Inter-Community Empowerment Initiative (NICE-I)
