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.

Opeifa inspects coaches, facilities at Abuja-Kaduna train after viral video

Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Dr. Kayode Opeifa, has paid an unscheduled visit to the Idu Railway Station in Abuja, where he inspected facilities on an Abuja-Kaduna train.

This is in response to recent public concerns over the condition of train facilities, particularly the functionality of onboard toilets on the Abuja-Kaduna Train Service (AKTS).

The visit was prompted by an article currently in circulation, which alleged that all toilets aboard the Abuja-Kaduna train service were non-functional.

Determined to verify the claims and uphold service standards, Opeifa boarded the train and moved from coach to coach to conduct a thorough on-the-spot assessment of the toilets and other facilities inside the coaches.

Opeifa was accompanied on the inspection by senior officials and technical staff of the corporation who provided insights into the state of the facilities, ongoing maintenance routines, and improvement plans.

Opeifa reaffirmed the NRC’s commitment to ensuring safety, cleanliness, and comfort for all passengers across the national rail network.

He said, “We take all feedback seriously—whether from the media or passengers—and we are committed to transparency and continual improvement.

“Our visit today is part of our resolve to ensure that passengers receive the highest standard of service.”

On the state of the facilities, the Managing Director commended the AKTS team and the cleaning services provider, for their efforts over the past five months, noting significant improvements.

He acknowledged that while most toilets are now functional, there is still room for improvement.

He implored customers to continue to support the Corporation’s revitalization efforts by making their concerns known through the available customer complaint channels for prompt attention.

Dr. Opeifa also urged NRC staff to adopt a more customer-friendly attitude, emphasizing that the Corporation remains committed to improving customer service delivery and enhancing overall passenger experience.

The NRC assures the public that any identified deficiencies will be addressed swiftly and urges passengers to continue providing constructive feedback that will aid the Corporation in delivering a more efficient and reliable railway system.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Train operations on Warri–Itakpe route safe, secure – NRC 

The Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) has dismissed recent fears concerning the safety of the Warri–Itakpe rail corridor.

It assured members of the public that train operations along the route remain safe, secure, and fully operational.

Acting Deputy Director of Public Relations at the NRC, Mr. Callistus Unyimadu, clarified in a statement that a recent incident involving the temporary removal of rail clips was detected and promptly rectified.

He confirmed that no threat was posed to the integrity of train operations or passenger safety.

“The attention of the NRC has been drawn to a widely circulated social media message warning the public to avoid train travel, particularly along Warri – Itakpe rail corridor.

“The message, accompanied by a short video showing removed rail clips, falsely claims that rail transport is currently unsafe and urges passengers to cancel travel plans.

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“We wish to categorically state that this information is misleading and unfounded,” he said.

He added, “Train services on the Warri-Itakpe corridor and all other NRC corridors remain safe, reliable and fully operational.”

The NRC revealed that the recent issue was detected during a routine inspection and was promptly resolved by its maintenance team. According to Unyimadu, the swift response and ongoing monitoring reflect the corporation’s strong commitment to maintaining the highest safety standards.

He explained that both the tracks and rolling stock were under continuous surveillance, with trained personnel on hand to address any challenges in real time.

Unyimadu urged the public to continue using the NRC services with confidence, assuring that all trains operating on the NRC-managed routes are safe, reliable, and maintained on a regular basis.

He further advised passengers to rely on verified NRC communication channels for accurate updates and travel advisories, warning that any attempts to discourage rail travel through misinformation undermine national efforts to promote a safer and more efficient transportation system.

 

Train operations on Warri–Itakpe route safe, secure – NRC