Connect with us

news

2023 Election : Tinubu, Atiku, Obi roll out plans on economy, security

Published

on

Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President-elect Yakubu Maikyau; All Progressives Congress (APC) vice presidential candidate Kashim Shettima; NBA President Olumide Akpata; Chairman, Technical Committee on Conference Planning Tobenna Erojikwe; Guest Speaker Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar; Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki; Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate Prince Adewole Adebayo and Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi at the opening of the 2022 NBA Annual Conference in Lagos…

Shettima: APC standard bearer and I will replicate our Lagos, Borno feats
Nigeria’s unity, power devolution not negotiable, says PDP candidate
LP flagbearer promises to transform Nigeria to a productive economy
Presidential candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party (LP) Peter Obi yesterday rolled out their plans on the economy and insecurity, two of the most critical problems confronting the country.

They were guests at a plenary of the ongoing 62nd Nigerian Bar Association Annual General Conference (NBA-AGC) in Lagos.

The conference theme is Bold Transitions, while the session theme was: Democratic transitions in 21st Century Nigeria: 2023 and beyond.

Nigerians have been reeling under tough economic conditions, with inflation at over 19 per cent, an all-time high in 17 years, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

There have been frequent terror attacks, including kidnapping for ransom, insurgency, killings and farmer-herder clashes, among others.

But the presidential candidates sounded confident they would solve the problems if given the chance in 2023.

They also sold their plans on how to revamp the economy.

The flag bearers of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Peter Umeadi (former Chief Judge of Anambra State) also answered questions on their plans.

The keynote speaker, novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, said Nigeria must get its leadership choice right at the poll next year.

The session, moderated by former NBA president Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), had an estimated 13,000 lawyers in attendance physically or virtually.

‘Tinubu’ll deploy mastery of financial management’
APC vice presidential candidate and former Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima, who represented Tinubu, said the former Lagos State governor will deploy his “mastery of financial management capabilities” in revamping the economy.

He said he (Shettima) would use his eight-year experience tackling Boko Haram in Borno to deal with banditry and insurgency.

According to him, the strength of the country’s armed forces is abysmal relative to its challenges and compared to its peer countries.

He believes Nigeria’s troops need to be boosted to at least 960,000.

Shettima said: “I want us to juxtapose two scenarios. At the end of the unfortunate Nigerian civil war, the Nigerian Armed Forces ballooned to 250,000 combat troops.

”In 1970, Nigeria’s population was 55.9million, our GDP was $22billion, and our military spending was $660million representing 5.28 per cent of our GDP.

“I would like us to juxtapose the figures in 1970 with the figures for 2022. At the end of July, Nigeria’s population was 216.9 million.

“Our GDP was $455million and our total number of troops was 213,000. The percentage of our GDP that is spent on the military for security was only 0.5 per cent.”

He noted that Nigeria’s “peers across the world” such as Iraq, Israel and Turkey spend far higher percentages.

He argued that the Tinubu-Shettima ticket was the best combination to tackle Nigeria’s economic, security and other challenges because of their vast experience.

“I will handle the security and lead the troops while my principal (Bola Ahmed Tinubu), who is an economic wizard will handle the economy,” he said.

The former Borno State governor said his combination with Tinubu, if elected next year, will replicate the “wonders” they performed in Borno and Lagos states.

Shettima said: “Nigerians have the capability to see through the worn-out rhetoric and sophistry of pretentious politicians.

“Nigerians should follow the man wey know the road. From day one, we will hit the ground running. We’ll promptly address the issue of the economy, ecology, and security.

“We have the antecedents. I built some of the best schools in Nigeria. Go to Borno and see wonders; you will never believe that it is a state in a state of war.

“So, we are going to replicate our achievements in Lagos, Borno and some of the frontline states so that our nation will be a better place. The fundamental issue is pure leadership.”

Shettima urged Nigerians to consider the strengths of a Tinubu presidency as exemplified by the latter’s performance as Lagos governor and his skillset.

“He is a city boy, I am the golden boy,” Shettima said.

Reflecting on the poor state of the Lagos economy before 1999, he emphasised Tinubu’s successes in transforming the its finances.

“Now, Lagos is earning N51billion every month as its internally generated revenue. Lagos is the third largest economy in Africa,” he said.

Shettima said beside establishing an “excellent track record for performance”, Tinubu has also “mentored men and women who are excelling in different fields of human endeavours.”

He credited himself with excelling as a staff of Zenith Bank in Lagos and elsewhere, adding that he had also “mentored men who are excelling in different fields of human endeavour.”

On their economic plans, Shettima said an “important tool of growing the economy”, is “diversification of sources of our income”.

Read Also: We must stand, mobilise, pray for Tinubu to win 2023 presidency —
“Ours is a great nation in chains; chained by ineptitude, chained by corruption and chained by incapacity.

“This is why it is absolutely important to grow the economy,” he said while responding to a question by the first female Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief ‘Folake Solanke.

Urging Nigerians to disregard ethnicity and religion, Shettima added: “I urge you all to align yourselves with the aspirations of the APC candidate fundamentally because of his competence. He has an established track record of performance.

“Lagos is now a tourist destination of choice in the West African subregion. Lagos produces 75 per cent of the tax collections in this country and we are going to recreate the Lagos experience all over the country.

“I urge you, I beseech you, I call on you to use your rational sense of judgment, make an informed judgment on who you are going to vote for in the next dispensation.

“It is absolutely essential that you vote for competence, capacity, and for a leader who can lead us to the promised land. Yes, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the man to beat.”

Atiku, referencing the country’s challenges and “negative developments in our history,” said what was important is how to tackle the problems.

He identified five key areas that require action.

Atiku said: “There are five key areas that any leadership – forget about the party – any leadership from whichever political party must confront .

“The unity of our country is very fundamental. How do we achieve the unity of our country? It’s by making sure that we give every part of this country a sense of belonging.”

He explained that despite its overwhelming victory in 1999, the PDP formed a national government inclusive of other political party members, adding that this boosted national unity.

“Then, the issue of the economy and security came in. Because we had a consensus, we had no problem dealing with the sad security challenges.

“Therefore, I believe we have had experience and it is that experience that has helped that must be brought back.

“It is only when you have this sense of belonging that we will be able to deal with the issue of security. When you deal with the issue of security, then you will now come to the economy.

“My five points that are illuminated are all interrelated from unity to security, economy to the devolution of power.”

He emphasised his belief in restructuring via power devolution.

“More resources, more power to the states,” he added.

On how to stabilise the economy, Atiku said the “multiple exchange rate,” must be “abolished.”

The PDP flag bearer said since the return of democracy in 1998/99, Nigeria has never found itself in such a critical point in its history.

“Today, we have had all the negative indices. Today, we are all disunited in the nation. We have never experienced this level of poverty.

“We have never experienced this state of insecurity. We have never experienced this level of unemployment. We have recognised all these negative development in our history.

“This is where history and experience beckon on us to make sure that we don’t get it wrong at this point otherwise if we get it wrong. I don’t know when we will ever get it right.

“I have been involved in the struggle to return this country to democracy in the time of military days.

“In fact, I can even say I was even lucky to be alive because so many of my contemporaries were killed in the struggle, but by the grace of God I have survived till this point in time,” he said.

Obi restates consumption-to-production promise
Obi lamented the numerous problems facing the country.

He restated that the “only way” to stabilise the naira is for the Nigerian economy to “move from consumption to production.”

He added: “Nigeria needs an urgent transition from being a highly insecure country to a secure country, from a disunited country to a united country, from corruption to a successful country, from a country of lawlessness to a country of law and order.

“But in all these, it is important to look at where we are today for people to understand the gravity of the journey we are going to take if we are going to transit. Where are we today?”

In his view, Nigeria had qualified to be a failed state.

According to him, 80 per cent of the country’s crude was stolen.

“Even our most important source of foreign exchange revenue, oil, is today 80 per cent stolen. That shows how bad it is.

“We are the only country apart from Venezuela (we know their own is because of sanctions) that is not meeting up with its OPEC quota.

“And you wouldn’t believe the quantity that is missing. In July, our total average quota was 1.83 million barrels a day. That means that in July, we lost 77,000 barrels per day.

“If you multiple that by 20, in 31 days it will give you 22.223million barrels of oil that we lost. This is a country that needs dollars.

“If you sell the quantity of the oil that we lost in July alone at the average of $110, it will give you $2.45bilion, meaning by our exchange rate of N550, we lost N1. 344trillion .

“That is your country; that is what we lost in one month because of stealing. It is important that we know this. “Number two item to show that we are a failed state is that you are no longer in control of our economy.

“We have an economy where over 100 million people live in poverty, our unemployment rate is one of the worst in the world because we have a combined unemployment of 50 per cent.

“Out of 200 million Nigerians, 60 per cent is supposed to be working, so we are supposed to have more than 120 million persons working but today Nigerians that are working are under 50 million, so 70 million plus of Nigerians are not working, are not productive.

“When you compare this to your productivity, you will see how low it is. But what is even worse is that we are in a total physical mess because of all these.

“Between January this year and April, the total revenue of Federal Government of Nigeria is N1.6trillion

“The expenditure is N4.7trillion. If you subtract this, we have a deficit of N3.1trillion. That shows almost 200 percent is the deficit and this is the crisis we face.”

He blamed the situation on bad leadership.

“How did we come here? It is because of leadership failure over the years.

“To come out of this, we need to have a visionary, articulated and competent leadership to start turning things around,” he said.

Umeadi urged the electorate to exercise due voter diligence in the 2023 general electioneering process as a way to strengthen Nigeria’s democratic transitions.

Adebayo said one of the ways to make the naira stable is to abolish a dual system where “one person who has a friend in the Central Bank can make $30 million dollars by buying at the official rate and selling to the hard-working people” at an increased rate.

He said: “Importers and supermarket owners should not be making more money than manufacturers and farmers.”

He added that the “convergence of official and unofficial rates” must be allowed.

Among the guests at the opening were Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki; his Plateau State counterpart Simon Lalong; a spokesman for Atiku’s campaign organisation, Senator Dino Melaye; AIT founder, Raymond Dokpesi, Obi campaign director-general Doyin Okupe, among others.

Adichie advocates corruption-free justice system
Award-winning novelist Adichie advocated a fair, corruption-free judicial system, urging the NBA to leverage technology in judicial process and the administration of justice.

She lamented that Nigerians do not seem to have enough leaders to look up to in the current system.

In her view, young citizens were finding it difficult to have heroes for mentorship.

“We are starved of heroes. Our young people do not find people to look up to anymore,” Adichie said.

The keynote speaker argued that it was important for everyone to speak out against injustice and tyranny even if they were called troublemakers.

She said: “A bold transition must embrace audacity and innovation. They have called me troublesome. Although, it is never enjoyable to be called troublesome.

“I never set out to provoke for its sake. But I refuse to silence myself for the fear of what I might inadvertently provoke. It has always been important to me to say what I believe, to call out injustice.

“Federal and state security dragging journalists to prison is tyranny. A journalist ill-treating his domestic staff is tyranny. The rape of young boys and girls is also tyranny.

“It is tyranny when state governments do not pay pensioners until they slump and die as broken people.

“The physical harassment of lawyers and some judges is tyranny. The use of the law by some people to oppress the poor people is tyranny.”

Adiche said Nigerians must be fair in their criticisms before peace can thrive, adding that they should become responsible before holding the leaders responsible.

She said: “As long as we refuse to untangle the knot of injustice, peace cannot thrive. If we don’t talk about it, we fail to hold leaders accountable and we turn what should be transparent systems into ugly opaque cults.

“My experience made me think there’s something dead in us, in our society; a death of self-awareness and ability for self-criticism.

“There’s a need for resurrection. We cannot avoid self-criticism but criticise the government. We cannot hide our own institutional failure while demanding transparency from the government.”

While commending the NBA for traditionally defending citizens’ rights, she lamented a decline in professionalism.

She said: “Nigerians are disillusioned because they know of the decline of professionalism in some sections of the legal profession.

“As the NBA continues to fight the abuse of power, it must also look inward not to be corrupted.

“One way is to simplify the legal procedure. We deny justice when we delay justice. Technology should also be used. It is time for the full use of technology in the administration of justice.

“Today, the word ‘disruptive’ has taken on a more positive and perhaps even a more trendy connotation. It now tends to mean innovative and original especially concerning technology and access to information. Troublesome and innovative.

“They might seem opposed to each other but I will argue that these two understandings of disruptive hang their pride on the NBA.

“Many people who have abused their positions of power in Nigeria would describe the NBA as troublesome.”

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

news

Tinubu commended Nandap for her leadership, extends Comptroller-General tenure till 2026, says Onanuga

Published

on

President Bola Tinubu has approved the extension of the tenure of the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Kemi Nandap, until December 31, 2026.

Nandap, who joined the NIS on October 9, 1989, was appointed as Comptroller-General on March 1, 2024, with an initial tenure set to end on August 31, 2025.

A statement by the president’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Monday, said for her leadership, noting improvements in border management, immigration modernisation, and national security under her watch.

“Under her leadership, the Nigeria Immigration Service has witnessed significant advancements in its core mandate, with notable improvements in border management, modernisation of immigration processes and national security measures.

“President Tinubu commended the Comptroller-General for her exemplary leadership and urged her to continue dedicating herself to the Service’s strategic priorities, which align with his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda,” the statement read.

He also reaffirmed his commitment to supporting the NIS in safeguarding Nigeria’s borders and ensuring safe and legal migration.

Continue Reading

news

Update : Fubara ordered bombing of Rivers Assembly, I am not under duress I resigned, Says ex-Rivers HoS Nwaeke

Published

on

• Says suspended gov plotted Tinubu’s downfall through pipeline bombings

• ‘Fubara ordered Ehie to pull down Assembly to avert impeachment’

• Nwaeke links Bala Mohammed to sinister plot against President

• Says emergency saved Rivers, Nigeria from major disaster

The immediate past Rivers State Head of Service, Dr. George Nwaeke, yesterday gave what appears to be yet the most revealing insider’s account of some of the events that culminated in the March 18 suspension of Governor Siminilayi Fubara and the state Assembly for six months.

Nwaeke, who claimed to have been an eyewitness to some of the actions taken by Fubara, spoke of how the suspended governor allegedly plotted the destruction of the State House of Assembly and economic sabotage to ensure the downfall of President Bola Tinubu.

Nwaeke, in a video press conference and a statement, claimed that Fubara masterminded the bombing of the state House of Assembly, using his Chief of Staff, Edison Ehie.

Nwaeke was appointed as head of service by Fubara.

He said he was prompted to set the records straight following “the loads of misinformation on print and electronic media.”

He said he was not sacked neither or pressured to resign but resigned “willingly from the depth of my heart.”

He said: ”However, as an insider and a key player in this administration by my position, who worked closely with Siminilayi Fubara, it will be unfair for me to keep silent or not to address some key factors that has affected or will affect our state if we continue on this trajectory.”

He thanked the President for “a swift intervention in Rivers State crisis, especially on the state of emergency that was declared and assented to by the National Assembly.”

He added: “You will recall that when the governor was suspended, as the head of service, I was the next in command. So I am not speaking from outside, I am speaking as an insider.

“If not for the intervention of Mr. President, Nigeria would have faced the worst economic sabotage and Rivers State would have been up in flames.

“First, it all started with the Rivers State House of Assembly where the Governor, Siminilayi Fubara, directed his Chief of Staff (Edison Ehie) to burn down the assembly in a way to avert his impeachment.

“That evening, Edison was in Government House with two other boys, including the former Chairman of Obio/Akpor LGA, one Chijioke. I was there with them when a bag of money was handed over to Edison for that operation, though I do not know the amount inside.

“I want to tell Rivers people today that the House of Assembly complex in Moscow Road was clearly brought down by Edison Ehie under the instructions of Governor Siminilayi Fubara, I challenge him to an open confrontation and I will throw more light on it.

“A day after that incident, I almost resigned, but I was very scared because I know the power of a sitting governor and he knew that I am aware of the whole plan and that I am discomforted with the unconscionable act and deliberate posture of innocence and mien of a sheep.”

He also alleged that another attempt was made to “destroy the residential quarters of the House of Assembly members.”

Continuing, he said: “If not for the press conference that was held there by Rivers youths, Rivers elders and National Assembly members, that would have been another barbaric demolition in Rivers State.

“I came to realise that they actually wanted to demolish that second building, because after some weeks, he personally told me that if he knew early, he would have gone to pull down their hall before visiting the residential quarters of the assembly, and that he didn’t actually know that they had such a beautiful hall where they are using now for their sitting.

“I was shocked and I asked myself how could a man that wants to lead his people be destroying his state assets and wasting public funds on a needless ego fight.”

Nwaeke appealed to critics of the declaration of emergency rule by President Tinubu to retract their statements, saying without the urgent intervention, a lot of things would have gone wrong in the state.

Such critics, according to him, ”are only seeing the surface. If the President did not take proactive step, no one knows who would have been affected by the sinister plans that were cooking.”

He asked the President “not to give up on Rivers State affairs because a lot is going on there with Governor Fubara.”

He said one of the factors that “got me removed was when Governor Fubara told me that they would use the Ijaw to decide who would become the next president of Nigeria, and I asked him how will that work? Is it by votes or by what means?”

On alleged plan to shoot down the second term of President Tinubu, Nwaeke said: “He clearly told me that he is the chief security officer of Rivers State and his brother is in charge of Bayelsa State, and all the pipelines are under their care; that at the appropriate time, they would tell the boys what to do, and fund was not an issue.

“That was why when he made that statement in his public function that “I will tell the boys what to do at the appropriate time” I knew something was up and perhaps the time was near.

“He boasted to be the ‘David that will bring down the Goliath of Rivers State.’ That he has the backing of the cream-de-la cream in the state.

“The plan was to start from non-Ijaw speaking areas to destroy oil facilities to remove attention from the Ijaw and make it have a statewide look. The Ogoni, Oyibo, Ahoda areas were to be bombed first before the Ijaw zones. This would have brought down the government of President Tinubu and usher in a new President from the coalition of political parties with a Vice President from the Ijaw.

“The media was to be captured by paying heavily for airtime and retaining the social media influencers and known social critics on their payroll.

“I am not unaware of what this revelation means, but I am doing this to free my conscience and warn those innocent persons that are used to sway public sentiment that there is more than meets the eye in the Rivers matter.

“Sometimes I slept over in Government House. But I started being uncomfortable when Governor Bala Mohammed and some other stakeholders started nocturnal visits to Rivers State.

“I recall after one of such visits he told me that he would support Bala Mohammed or any other northerner for president; that discussions were ongoing.

“Although I was not bothered about whom he supports, I was more concerned about the quantum of state resources that he releases to these visitors at each visit.”

Nwaeke asked the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to call their Rivers labour leaders to order to avoid politicising labour in the state.

He said he was privy to several private meetings between the governor and labour leaders in the state and the largesse that accompanied each meeting to compromise the Labour Union.

“More worrisome is several meetings between the governor, his chief of staff and some militant leaders. The details of which meetings I was not privy to since I was not allowed into the meetings.

“However, each meeting ended with huge sums of money paid to attendees.”

He said Rivers people and the generality of Nigerians are “the beneficiary of the declaration of state of emergency rule in Rivers State and not Governor Fubara or Minister Wike.”

He stressed the need for the state’s Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd), to “step up his guards and be very vigilant, because I am aware of the sinister arrangement and dastardly plans to continue to hatch their plans if not put in check.”

He said: “This accounts for the organised media condemnations and seeming public outcry against Mr. President and National Assembly.

“Those who love democracy and humanity will always protect humanity and democracy. Mr. President, you have just protected democracy and humanity in Rivers State. I can now sleep with my conscience clear.”

Wike slams NBA for ‘hypocrisy’ on state of emergency

Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike yesterday faulted the Nigeria Bar Association’s (NBA) stance that the declaration of state of emergency in Rivers by President Bola Tinubu was unconstitutional and illegal.

Wike alleged that the NBA discredited Tinubu’s decision because the Rivers Government had promised to host its annual general conference.

The minister stated this when officials of the Body of Benchers, led by its Chairman, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), visited him in Abuja.

He added that the association did not support the declaration of the state of emergency because there would be no money to give to the NBA for the conference.

“What kind of hypocrisy is this?” he queried.

The minister called on the Body of Benchers to call the NBA to order over the association’s unnecessary criticism of the judiciary.

He said that the body should not sit and watch, while the NBA and its members destroy the legal profession.

He said that some of the members of NBA, often without reading a judgement, go on national television to condemn the judgment and criticise the judges.

He said that such actions have continued with no sanction.

“If you don’t discipline somebody, nobody will learn any lesson.

“We shall no longer allow our profession to be pulled down. I cannot believe, as a lawyer, that you make a contribution to help the legal profession, and you will be criticised by your fellow lawyers.

“Sir, time has come that we need to say look, enough is enough. We cannot continue to discourage our judges and justices. It is not done anywhere.

“I have never seen where members of a profession are the ones that are bent on bringing the profession down,” he said.

The minister also accused the NBA of describing any support rendered by the executive arm of government to the judicial arm as a bribe.

Wike recalled that when NBA was building its National Secretariat, the leadership wrote to the executive for support, adding that nobody saw that as a bribe.

“I was the only one who contributed to the NBA to build the National Secretariat. The NBA didn’t see it as a bribe.

“When you contribute to the Body of Benchers, it is a bribe, but when you contribute to NBA, it is not a bribe, they will take it.

“The same NBA will rely on state governments to sponsor their activities, but when the state government supports the judiciary it is bribery,” he added.

Wike said that the constant taunting of judges and justices had made them to avoid attending social gatherings or going to church or mosque for fear of molestation.

He added that judges could no longer shake people’s hands freely because lawyers would accuse them of collecting bribes.

“It has gotten to the stage that our Judges are so scared of going to a mosque or church or even greeting somebody they know because of fear of bribery.

“They run away from shaking people’s hands because they will start accusing them of collecting bride. This must stop,” he said

The immediate past Rivers Head of Service, George Nwaeke, has denied claims by his wife, Florence, that he was kidnapped and under duress.

Nwaeke, who recently released chilling allegations against suspended Governor Siminalayi, said contrary to his wife’s emotional outbursts, he was safe in Abuja.

He disclosed that he went to Abuja to voluntarily report himself to security agencies over the ongoing crisis in Rivers State.

The former HoS spoke in a trending video released early hours of Saturday.

He insisted thatwife’s claim was false and suggested that she had been misled and given a script to read.

He said: “I am in Transcorp Abuja. I arrived this morning from Port Harcourt to meet security agencies and report myself, as well as the troubling events happening in Rivers State. I resigned as Head of Service on Monday because of these developments”.

Addressing his wife, he said: “I just saw a video of my wife trending. She was told I had been kidnapped and given a script to read. I want to make it clear—I am not kidnapped. I am in Abuja, working.

“When I was Head of Service, my wife was not involved in my official duties. That script she read is null and void. I am safe and sound. I will report myself to the appropriate security agencies because Abuja houses their headquarters, and I feel safer making my report here.”

Continue Reading

news

Opeifa Kicks off Railways Revitalization Initiatives, Assures of Improved Services

Published

on

The Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Dr Kayode Opeifa, has commenced preparation for the upcoming developmental and revitalization initiatives of the Corporation ,assuring Nigerians of the readiness to serve them better, as he embarked on the tour of the districts under the NRC.

He stated this at the Iddo Train Station as part of his tour of the Railways Districts guaranteeing train passengers, commuting daily from Ijoko and other border communities in Ogun State to Iddo and Idumota axis of the Lagos Island, that the Corporation will revive the 2pm mass transit train service (MTTS) in line with their demands.

The District Manager, Engr Augustine Arisa and District Superintendent Mrs Chidinma Mba, also informed the MD that the prosperity of the Idumota market is also related to the operations of the MTT line as any day the train does not run, the market feels it.

“NRC management being aware of the centrality of the MTT Kajola to Iddo rail line to the continued prosperity of the Iddo, Idumota and some other big markets in Lagos will not only continue to sustain the line, but work to add addition service after careful commercial market viability and sustainability studies”, Opeifa said.

According to him, the transformation of the Iddo Terminal is central to the corporation’s goal to significantly improve the terminal’s infrastructure, optimize its capacity and elevate the passenger experience

He also assured that the management would urgently embark on the rehabilitation of the coaches to improve the ambience of the interior of the trains and the Iddo stations for better customer experience and patronage.

Opeifa said he would not hesitate to terminate the contract of any contractor not willing or ready to add value to the corporation’s service.

The Managing Director who spent some time going round the Iddo Station, also directed the installation of solar panels around the station to better improve the lightening condition, even as he sent the signal that a comprehensive review of all land leases around the station is underway.

Opeifa was nostalgic about the several interesting monuments and railway relics, called on corporate organisations and other philanthropists, to support the corporation in the area of provision of conveniences for train passengers as part of their corporate social responsibility.

The NRC Managing Director had earlier commenced his maiden tour of the NRC districts across the country, with a tour to the Running Shed of the corporation at Ebute Metta, which he learnt was a hub to other districts.

He expressed delight at the industry of iron men (women engineers and technicians) working in the corporation who are competing with their male counterparts in ensuring that all the nation’s rolling assets are in serviceable conditions.

The tour took him to the store. Opeifa directed that the management must commence the painting of several legacy buildings of the corporation across the country. He added that the corporation is determined to improve its image as a frontline mobility service provider and the hub for logistics services in the country.

Opeifa who observed that there are no scraps in the railway, reiterated earlier calls on Nigerians to beware of anyone vandalizing the rail materials across the country, adding that security agencies especially the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have been directed to prosecute anyone caught vandalizing any rail assets.

He said the corporation would put back to shape as many narrow gauge locomotives still serviceable and would deploy them across the country to serve passenger traffic anywhere it had existing train lines, just as the federal government aggressively continue to invest and expand the national standard gauge corridor.

The tour also took the Managing Director to the Battery Room, as well as the laboratory, an inspection of all the mechanical fluids which was a crucial facility responsible for analyzing the quality and integrity of mechanical fluids used in NRC rail operations.

He assured the laboratory that the management under his watch would continue to support their growth and development as he himself trained and once worked as an Analytical chemist.

The tour also took Opeifa to Agege Station where he had a closed door meeting with officials from the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), led by the Director Rail Services Engr Olasunkanmi Okusaga, on how to firm up security challenges between the two stations Babatunde Raji Fashola Station and the Lagos State Train Station at Agege Station.

Opeifa who was led round by the Agege Station Manager Mrs Ese Asowata, went round to check the Station’s conveniences, the VIP Lounge, the control room, the ticketing lounge and administrative sections among others.

The Managing Director took time to address the concerns of some train passengers, one of them, Olatunde Apata, who complained of what could be done for any passenger who missed his train. Apata, who was heading to the Prof. Wole Soyinka Station, in Abeokuta, Ogun State, had missed his train because he went to pray.

Addressing all challenges, Opeifa directed that under no circumstances should the ticket not work to relief passengers with disability access the train. He equally said efforts are being made to see how the issue of those missing their train would be addressed even as he disclosed that the NRC and LAMATA are working at how to ensure passengers could co-switch and access the metro train to continue their journey from the stations.

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2025 Newsthumb Magazine | All rights reserved