Railway
Expect biggest investment in Nigerian railways within two years, says NRC MD Opeifa
Expect biggest investment in Nigerian railways within two years, says NRC MD Opeifa
The current administration led by President Bola Tinubu will in the next two years invest heavily in the rail transport sector, Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Dr Kayode Opeifa, has said.
He disclosed this in Lagos on Thursday at the 11th Nigeria Transport Lecture (NTL), organized by Transport Day Media.
He said the investment coming to the railway would surpass what the country had put in the industry in the last 60 years.
He said this could easily be achieved by both the Federal and state governments after moving railway from the exclusive to concurrent list and as part of the fallout of fuel subsidy removal.
Opeifa who lauded President Tinubu and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, for repositioning the transport system in the country in the past two years, spoke while delivering a paper titled: “Sustainable Transformation System in Nigeria: A Pathway To Economic Prosperity”.
According to him, the Nigerian government is making steady progress in building an integrated transport network across the country with the support of investors that are committed to boosting economic recovery and improving macroeconomic indicators.
Specifically, he said President Tinubu had done excellently well by daring to free scarce resources wasted on fuel subsidy and harmonization of currency exchange rates.
He also pointed out that the removal of railways from exclusive to concurrent list, starting of the completion of over 40 years abandoned Badagry-Sokoto super highway and also the starting of the construction of the game changing Lagos-Calabar super highway are positive indications to a sustainable transportation system.
Other areas he gave credit to the current administration are the investment in rail infrastructure, supporting states with grants for rail system infrastructure, establishment of the Presidential CNG Initiative (Pi-CNG) among others.
Ranking Lagos and Abuja as two cities with the most impressive transportation system, Opeifa said that Kano, Kaduna, Delta, Edo, Oyo, Ogun and others had equally made substantial successes in the transportation system.
He said, “Of mention are the efforts of the states of the northern part of Nigeria investing in Intra-city and interstate transport services as we have in Adamawa, Taraba, Borno, Sokoto, Katsina, Kogi, Gombe states, among others.”
He equally observed that the efforts of the private sector involvement in interstates transportation were more noticeable in the south eastern regions.
Giving a short-term and long-term strategies for developing sustainable transportation system in the country, Opeifa advised that the government and all other stakeholders, including the private sector, donor agencies and development partners must work together.
This, he said, would help to achieve a sustainable result by prioritising accessibility, affordability, inclusion efficiency, and environmental responsibility while taking into account cost-benefit analysis.
Other steps for a transport management system as listed by the NRC boss are enactment of a national policy on sustainable transportation system, development of a new strategic national rail transportation and logistics master plan, framework for sustainable mass transit operations in Nigeria and establishment of the Ministry of Transportation at all sub-national levels.
He also harped on the need for a review of the current National Integrated Infrastructure master plan and creation of an integrated strategic transportation master plan for each state/sub national government (rail, road, water, air, maritime).
Despite the progress made, he warned that infrastructure deficiencies, insecurity, operational challenges, union issues, decarbonisation and lack of clear policy, structure and processes had remained the bane of a sustainable transportation system in the country.
The lecture was well attended by key stakeholders in the transportation industry including the Lagos State government, Federal Government agencies, Federal Road Safety Corps, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, Nahco Aviance Plc, Nexant Consulting, and transport and affiliated firms among others.
Railway
Lagos-Kano rail: Narrow gauge restoration to reach Offa before December
Lagos-Kano rail: Narrow gauge restoration to reach Offa before December
The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has intensified work on its restoration of the Lagos-Kano narrow gauge rail corridor.
It has therefore assured members of the public the commercial train services on the line will reach Offa in Kwara State before December thus year.
Managing Director of NRC, Dr. Kayode Opeifa, stated this while receiving members of Lagos State chapter of the Offa Descendants Union (ODU) led by Dr. Waheed Olagunju who paid him a courtesy visit to congratulate him on his appointment.
A statement by the acting Deputy Director of Public Relations at the NRC, Callistus Unyimadu, quoted Opeifa as saying although the Western narrow gauge line would have resumed operations earlier, washout along the corridor delayed the process.
He said that NRC engineers were working round the clock to repair damaged tracks with service reactivation expected to reach Offa, Ilorin, Mokwa, Kaduna and ultimately Kano.
The NRC applauded the people of Offa for their unwavering commitment to safeguarding railway assets describing their efforts as exemplary.
He further assured that under his leadership , NRC would not only reactivate the Offa railway line but also revive the Railway Recreation Club, boosting community activities in the town.
Reiterating the importance of Offa in Nigeria’s railway history, Dr. Opeifa promised that the town would be prioritized under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
He highlighted NRC’s recent partnerships with five higher institutions including the Federal Polytechnic, Offa to leverage mutual manpower development, underscoring the corporation’s dedication to developing skilled railway professionals.
The NRC boss also revealed that the Corporation is aggressively optimising Nigeria’s railway assets by collaborating with state governments under its “Railing with the states” by reactivating and putting to use its narrow gauge lines, bringing train services closer to the people.
Earlier, Dr. Olagunju commended Dr. Opeifa for transforming the NRC since his appointment noting that the Offa community with the blessing of their traditional ruler looks forward to the return of train operations, a service enjoyed for over 113 years.
In a related development, Dr. Opeifa lauded the Women In Logistics And Transportation (WILAT) for their dedication to professionalism in the sector.
Addressing WILAT members who visited him, he urged them to explore investment opportunities in passenger and freight rail services, taking advantage of new provisions in the amended NRC Act that allow for massive private sector participation.
He pointed out that investors could provide locomotives, coaches and or cargo wagons to operate on NRC lines, with NRC ready to grant Track Access licences for operations just like Lagos State is leveraging this through the Red Line Lagos Metro and CCECC Nigeria Limited for cargo.
Speaking earlier, WILAT Chairperson , Khadijat Shabi congratulated Dr. Opeifa and invited him to their annual event scheduled to July 31st at the Oriental Hotel.
She noted that since its establishment in 2010, WILAT has grown to 28 countries, ensuring women remain at the forefront of logistics and multimodal transportation management.
Railway
NRC, 5 tertiary institutions sign railway skill acquisition pact
NRC, 5 tertiary institutions sign railway skill acquisition pact
The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with five tertiary institutions for advanced skills acquisition to deepen railway technology capacity and reduce reliance on costly foreign training,
The MoU was signed with Yaba College of Technology (Lagos), Kwara State Polytechnic (Ilorin), Federal Polytechnic (Offa), Kaduna Polytechnic (Kaduna), and Trinity University (Lagos).
The agreement is also expected to foster collaborative research, technology transfer, and joint training programmes between the NRC and the participating schools, according to a statement from corporation.
Managing Director of NRC, Dr. Kayode Opeifa, described the MoU as a “win-win situation for the nation,” noting it would empower both industry’s workers and students of the institutions through practical training in railway technology, logistics engineering, digital systems, and locomotive maintenance.
“This is not just about skill acquisition. It is about staff development, breaking the ceiling of promotion stagnation, and expanding opportunities for formal education in railway-related fields,” Opeifa said.
He said the collaboration would also make the corporation’s advanced equipment and facilities accessible to students and researchers, while allowing retiring NRC staff to offer their experience through academic engagement as guest lecturers.
While foreign training will still be pursued where necessary, the NRC boss stressed that the local initiative will significantly cut training costs and improve local capacity. “If we can offer that knowledge here, there will be no need to travel abroad. That’s huge savings for the country,” he added.
The Rector of Federal Polytechnic, Offa, Dr. Kadir Oluwatoyin, lauded the move, describing it as aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. “This will provide hands-on exposure to our students, internship opportunities, and sabbatical options for staff. It is a bold and commendable move,” he said.
His counterpart at Kwara State Polytechnic, Dr. Abdul Mohammed, noted that the partnership would reduce dependence on expatriates and promote job creation in the long term.
“Once the programme is fully developed, we will have a pool of local talents capable of sustaining the rail industry—home and abroad,” he said.
Railway
Three suspects arrested in Bauchi over intercepted stolen railway slippers
Three suspects arrested in Bauchi over intercepted stolen railway slippers
The Mining Team of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has intercepted a trailer loaded with railway slippers in Bauchi State.
The slippers were hidden beneath sacks of sawdust.
Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, Dr Kayode Opeifa, disclosed this in a statement.
The statement was issued by the Deputy Director, Public Relations, at the NRC, Mr Yakub Mahmood.
Opeifa confirmed that three suspects were arrested and that the vehicle and stolen items are now in the NSCDC custody for further investigation.
“The biggest heist in recent times. The NRC Police Command confronted economic saboteurs targeting railway assets nationwide,” he said.
He added that the Nigerian Railway Police and NSCDC have made several arrests, with materials recovered across Bauchi, Kano, Kwara and Gombe states.
This is the biggest heist in recent times. The NRC Police Command confronted economic saboteurs targeting railway assets nationwide,” he said.
He added that the Nigerian Railway Police and NSCDC had made several arrests and recovered a lot of materials across Bauchi, Kano, Kwara and Gombe states.
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