• Edo Govt Family visits from the late Police Rescuer • Abductions Scaring Passengers
Away, said Akerele • Nigeria Needs Minimum Safety Check for Rail Operations
— Opeifa • ‘NRC Should Be Disbanded To Encourage Private Sector Driven Solutions’
With the kidnapping of 20 train passengers last Saturday at the Tom Ikimi/Ekehen Station in Igueben, Edo State and several cases of rail infrastructure vandalism across the country lately, Nigerians are beginning to worry about the $4.12 billion so far committed by the current administration. about the modernization of the nation’s railway system.
A breakdown of investments shows that $2.5 billion has been invested in the construction of Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge, Abuja-Kaduna rail line gulped $1.5 billion while the rehabilitation of Warri-Itakpe standard gauge cost about $121 million.
The Guardian learned that the $4.12 billion is exclusive of the loan collected from China by the Federal Government for the purchase of rolling stock, namely locomotives and coaches.
More than 70 percent of the investment in the railway system was borrowed from the China Exim Bank, with the aim of repaying the debt with the proceeds of the investment. Amidst the challenges facing the sector, Nigerians have expressed fears about the country’s ability to meet the terms of its loans.
President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the current administration is working towards the implementation of the 25-year Strategic Railway Master Plan.
He said the government would focus on coastal railways, like Lagos-Calabar with branches to Benin, Agbor and Onitsha; Port Harcourt-Maiduguri standard gauge rail line with branches to Owerri, Awka, Abakaliki, Yola and Damaturu; and Kano-Kazure, Daura, Kastina, Jibya to connect to Maradi in the Republic of Niger as part of the regional railway interconnectivity of the ECOWAS sub-region.
The former Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, has pursued the plan with great enthusiasm, unfortunately, the lack of funds and protests by Nigerians that borrowing from China could undermine Nigeria’s sovereignty.
However, the latest developments in the sector show that projects undertaken by the government are now under threat with more Nigerians becoming weary of valuing the railway services due to incidents of terrorist attacks and vandalism amid lax security arrangements.
On March 28, 2022, a passenger train on the Abuja-Kaduna train with over 400 people on board derailed when a bomb exploded on the tracks. It resulted in the death of about nine people, kidnapped 62 passengers and many others suffered bullet injuries. Many of the victims, who spent eight months in the kidnapper’s cave, and their loved ones, have not recovered from the shock.
Following the incident, the Nigerian Railways (NRC) suspended services on the corridor, which had a negative impact on revenue. Investigations by The Guardian revealed that the company lost revenue of about N6.6 billion due to the eight-month suspension of services on the corridor.
The findings also show that the level of rail vandalism across the country is alarming. Last year, the Lagos-Kano narrow gauge train service was delayed due to damage to the track. Currently, services on the corridor are suspended.
The Railway Police Command arrested 13 suspected vandals in May and June 2022. Between July and August, the command further arrested no less than 15 suspects for crimes bordering on theft, vandalism of NRC infrastructure.
The Minister of State for Transport, Prince Adegoroye, while visiting Igueben station said the government would take proactive measures to prevent further attacks on railway stations in the country and ensure the safety of passengers and facilities. He said one of the steps was to create a collaborative initiative between the NRC and the host community to ensure that security is enhanced at railway stations.
While seeking the cooperation of the host community in this regard, he acknowledged that it is in their best interest to ensure that the investments and personnel of the Federal Government in their areas are protected.
Speaking to The Guardian, the Country Director, Policy House International, Taiwo Akerele, said that the railway system in Nigeria is still in the process of modernization and needs a lot of work on key components, including connectivity, staff capacity, ticket management, travel safety and infrastructure.
He said that the national railway master plan should not only focus on infrastructure and contracts but also on key areas such as passenger transport from the railway station to other parts of the city.
Akerele said: “Currently we have private sector-driven rail transport that is not regulated or as mass transit. It should be properly integrated into the design.
“Besides this, the hard lessons of the Kaduna and Edo crimes and kidnappings must not be repeated because it will affect the appetite of passengers for patronage and thus defeat the purpose of the investment in the first place.”
A railway expert, Mr. Olawale Rasheed, reiterated his views on the need to overhaul the entire railway system by reviewing the NRC Act which makes the company a regulator and an operator at the same time.
He emphasized that making the NRC a regulator and allowing the private sector to come in and invest is one way to overcome many challenges in the sector.
“How do you explain that the NRC is the operator and the regulator. If there is to be any significant progress, the Federal Government should quickly eliminate the sector.
On his side, the Executive Director, Center for Development of Mobility and Sustainable Access (CenSMAD), Dr. Kayode Opeifa, urged the government to set up a technical committee to review the implementation of the Rail Modernization Master Plan and ‘Nigeria’s Rail Transport System. ‘ to achieve the targets set by Nigeria.
His words: “What makes a railway transport system is not only railways and carriages. These include governance structures, safety and security systems, passenger and goods services administration, statutes and legal/environmental frameworks, ticketing systems, data and information management systems and signaling systems as well as related policies.
“Safety is the main issue that challenges decision-making in the design and implementation of modern railway systems, especially with the advent of High Speed Rail (HSR) and appropriate systems must be in place to ensure safe performance during operation. .
“Let it be established that terrorist attacks on transport assets are neither new nor limited to Nigeria because the sector meets all the requirements of a terrorist soft target. Examples abound around the world.
“We need to establish a national minimum security checklist for rail operations in Nigeria and be proactive in providing security systems based on modern technology using innovation and artificial intelligence.”
Opeifa noted that since an attack on one of them caused injury to others, there should be a regular safety review committee of top level stakeholders with the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA).
“In addition to regular safety audits, we must conduct regular safety audits for all rail infrastructure and systems to ensure the safety of passengers/goods, government, investors and relevant stakeholders and also encourage information sharing between safety operators.
“We need to deepen the lessons learned from the last twin terrorist attacks on the AKTS railway line to prevent the next one. When using technology, we need serious engagement with the host community along the installation of rail infrastructure as part of the intelligence gathering system for safer corridors .
“In conclusion, we must adopt a holistic public system where safety and security are approached as a minimum operating standard of the rail transport sector as we have done with the air transport sector,” added Opeifa.
Former Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Dennis Amachree, after the Kaduna train attack called for it
NRC to lift, saying they need to understand that half measures will not solve the problem.
“Companies must create a long-lasting security system. Also, they must look at their schedule. There is a need to avoid traveling at night, especially at this time when it is not safe.
“The government should invest heavily in technology. There is an aerial surveillance system with predatory drones that can protect the railways and passengers. We are still reacting to these attacks instead of being proactive.
“The government should take the initiative by implementing all countermeasures before attacking terrorists. It should be enough at this time,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Edo State government yesterday commiserated with the family of DSP Michael Adams who died during an operation to rescue some victims of the Igueben kidnapping incident.
Briefing newsmen in the country on the latest development in the kidnapping incident of Igueben, the Commissioner for Communications and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, said the Deputy Governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu, several top government officials and security officers paid a condolence visit to the family of the late Adams and expressed their sadness over the incident mentioned.
Shaibu, who led the visit to condole with the family, said: “All the heads of the security agencies are here. We are saddened. He left the family and we must come and commiserate with him and also participate in this dark moment. The loss is not only for the family but for all of us because when we lose a brave man like this, then it becomes a big problem for us because we need many of these brave officers alive to overcome our insecurity.
The deputy governor added: “It is very unfortunate that we lost him, but what is important is that he was a brave officer who succeeded in his mission. Fortunately, the mission was successful and he was able to save his life.
“To spend five days in the bush and save lives is not a common thing. Such an officer deserves a posthumous medal.”
The Edo State Commissioner of Police, CP Mohammed Adamu Dankwara, said Adams did not die in the shootout as reported.
“He did the operation and on the line he felt uncomfortable after saving the judge and other victims. He was not shot,” he said.
Responding on behalf of the family, the elder brother of the deceased, Ebi Naingba expressed his appreciation to the state government and other security chiefs and asked on behalf of the family that the state can protect and educate the children left behind by the late Adams.
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