Dr. Kayode Opeifa

Every morning, thousands of Nigerians traveling between Abuja and Kaduna ask the same question: Will I get a train ticket today?

We at the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) understand the frustration. More than 5,000 intending passengers compete for the limited seats available on the corridor, while the current service accommodates only a fraction of that demand.

We hear the complaints about tickets selling out quickly. We see the disappointment of passengers who log on to the booking platform only to discover that seats have been exhausted. We know that some have had to alter their plans or seek alternative means of transportation.

These concerns are legitimate, and we cannot wish them away.

But Nigerians also need to understand the operational reality. Demand for rail transportation has grown considerably, particularly on the Abuja–Kaduna corridor, while available capacity has not kept pace.

At different periods, three train sets were deployed on the route, providing substantially more daily trips. Today, one operational rake is serving the corridor, placing considerable pressure on available seats.

In the last three months, NRC management has added three coaches to the operating rake: one Executive Coach with 28 seats and two Standard Coaches with 88 seats each. The additions have increased the rake to nine coaches and created 204 extra seats for passengers on each journey.

It is an important step, but we recognise that more needs to be done.

We are working with the Federal Government and other stakeholders to address the larger requirements for restoring and expanding train services. We remain confident that the necessary interventions will be made.

Improving the railway, however, is not only about adding coaches and trains. It is also about improving the passenger experience.

Our immediate priority is to ensure that critical facilities at stations along the Abuja–Kaduna corridor including air-conditioning systems, elevators, escalators and lifts are fully functional. Passengers should not have to choose between safety, reliability and comfort.

We are equally strengthening our ticketing and passenger-verification systems. Ticket racketeering remains a concern, and our responsibility is to ensure that available seats go to genuine passengers through a transparent and secure process.

But technology cannot solve a capacity problem. Ultimately, we need more operational trains, more coaches and more trips.

The near completion of the Kano Mega Train Station along the Kaduna–Kano Railway Corridor represents more than the construction of another station. It offers a glimpse of the modern railway system Nigeria should have.

A railway station should not merely be a place where passengers board and alight. It should be a functional transportation hub designed around the needs, safety and dignity of the passenger.

The Kaduna–Kano corridor is strategically important, linking major population centres and commercial communities while strengthening rail connectivity across northern Nigeria. The Kano station is therefore part of a broader vision of a railway capable of supporting passenger mobility, freight movement and economic activity.

We know that Nigerians will judge us not by our promises but by their experience when they use our trains.

There will be operational constraints, and there will be complaints. We must listen to them. But there is also progress.

Additional coaches are being deployed where possible. Maintenance is being prioritised. Station facilities are receiving attention. Ticketing systems are being strengthened, while our engineers and technical personnel continue to keep the railway moving under challenging circumstances.

Our responsibility is to make the best use of the resources entrusted to us, improve efficiency, protect railway assets and ensure that investment in the railway delivers value to Nigerians.

For the passenger waiting at midnight to secure an Abuja–Kaduna ticket, these larger developments may seem distant. What matters is getting a seat.

That is why increasing capacity remains one of our most urgent priorities.

The additional coaches are important steps. More coaches, more trains and more reliable services must follow.

The Kano Mega Train Station is another step towards the railway system we are building for the future.

We ask for the patience of our passengers, but we do not take that patience for granted.

We owe Nigerians results. And we will continue working with the federal government and other stakeholders to build a railway system that Nigerians can depend on not only today, but for generations to come.

Opeifa is the Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation.

Agency summons product manufacturers to explain pricing methodology, others
CEMENT PRICES
Kenya N7,344
Tanzania N6,528
Togo N9,180
Nigeria N15,000

Cement manufacturers are under the searchlight of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) over rooftop prices of cement, the agency has confirmed.

It said the probe followed an extensive industry-wide investigation that suggested possible manipulation of product prices in the Nigerian market.

The FCCPC stated that findings from a three-month cross-border study by its Anti-competitive Practices Department (ACP), undertaken in response to widespread public complaints over the high cost of cement, provided reasonable ground for probe of the cement manufacturers.

According to the commission, subsequent to the findings, it has issued “Notices of Commencement of Investigation and Summons to Producer” to the key players in the sector.

With the summon, the companies are required to provide information and records relating to, among other matters, their pricing methodologies, production and capacity utilisation, exports and relevant commercial relationships.

Three companies account for more than 90 per cent of Nigeria’s cement production. They are: Dangote Cement Plc, HMB Nigeria Plc, formerly known as Lafarge Africa Plc. and BUA Cement Plc.

FCCPC stated that its actions were sequel to concerns raised over the comparatively high retail price of cement in the local market compared with other markets, despite the country’s substantial limestone deposits, significant domestic production capacity and reported surplus installed capacity relative to domestic consumption.

The commission explained that, beyond Nigeria, its investigations extended to markets in sub-Saharan Africa like Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa as well as Egypt, Morocco and Algeria, using metrics such as availability of limestone, the basic raw material for cement production, as well as other variables such as population, production capacity and consumption.

The commission’s survey indicated that Nigeria has installed cement production capacity of more than 60 to 65 million metric tonnes annually, while estimated domestic consumption is approximately 25 to 30 million metric tonnes.

Nigeria is also a net exporter of cement to neighbouring markets, a statement signed by its Director of Corporate Affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu, stated.

The FCCPC statement reads: “Of particular concern to the Commission is that this level of production capacity has not resulted in the downward pressure on domestic prices that might ordinarily be expected in a competitive market with substantial excess capacity.”

Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC\CEO) of the commission Mr. Tunji Bello said the investigation reflected the commission’s responsibility to examine market conditions that have significant consequences for consumers and the wider economy.

FG charges bakers, operators on production process, right labelling
He said: “Cement occupies a strategic place in the Nigerian economy. Its price affects the cost of building a home, developing commercial property, delivering public infrastructure and, ultimately, the cost of doing business. When concerns persist about how such an important market is functioning, the Commission has a duty to look beyond assumptions and establish the facts.” DownloadingInteractive Geographic Maps

He explained that the scrutiny is not intended to dictate the commercial decisions of businesses, rather, it is to determine whether the market is functioning competitively and whether consumers are receiving the benefits that effective competition should provide.

Bello said: “Businesses are entitled to make legitimate commercial decisions and earn returns on their investments. Competition law does not prevent that. Its purpose is to protect the competitive process, so that prices, output and other market outcomes are determined by genuine competition rather than conduct that unlawfully restricts it. That distinction is important to the work we are undertaking”.

The FCCPC spokesman provided additional details on the findings from the ACP investigation.

He said: “For instance, Kenya with 58.6 million population, 76 per cent lower than Nigeria’s population, had domestic cement demand of approximately 9.3m metric tonne per annum (MTPA) in 2025. Retail price in Nairobi is $5.40 or N7,344. Kenya is endowed with limestone. DownloadingInteractive Geographic Maps

“Tanzania, with population of 66.3 million, 72 per cent lower than Nigeria’s population, had domestic cement demand of 9.3m MTPA by 2025 with a bag of cement selling for $4.80 or N6,528.

“In Togo, which does not have limestone deposit, a bag of cement sells for $6.75 or N9,180.

“However, in Nigeria, with its huge limestone deposit and installed capacity, market intelligence reviewed by the commission showed that the retail price of a 50kg bag of cement rose significantly during the first half of 2026. DownloadingInteractive Geographic Maps

“A cement bag selling for between N9,300 and N9,700 in January was selling for between N10,500 and N13,000 by mid-year and by July, prices had risen to between N13,000 and N15,000 in some parts of the country.”

The commission noted that information provided by industry participants had identified energy costs, depreciation of the naira and its effect on imported machinery and spare parts, as well as transportation and logistics costs, among the factors contributing to cement prices.

It said: “The Commission is testing these explanations against verified information on costs, production, pricing and market conditions. However, the weight of preliminary findings provides sufficient grounds for the investigation to continue.

“Next is to determine whether prevailing cement prices can be explained by legitimate costs and market conditions, or whether there is evidence of coordinated conduct, abuse of market power, restriction of domestic supply, anti-competitive distribution practices or other conduct contrary to the provisions of the FCCPA.”

Social Media influencer, Afolabi Kazeem Michael, popularly known online as KC Luxury. Credit: NDLEA
Social Media influencer, Afolabi Kazeem Michael, popularly known online as KC Luxury. Credit: NDLEA

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has dismantled an international cocaine trafficking cartel that allegedly used Nigeria as a transit hub for moving illicit drugs to the United Kingdom, other parts of Europe and Asia.

The agency also arrested the alleged Nigerian arrowhead of the syndicate, a self-styled luxury goods dealer and social media influencer, Afolabi Michael, popularly known online as “KC Luxury,” as he attempted to flee the country.

A statement by the agency spokesman, Femi Babafemi, on Tuesday, said the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (retd.), disclosed this while addressing journalists in Lagos on Tuesday.

Marwa described the operation as one of the most significant narcotics investigations undertaken by the agency in recent times, saying it led to the seizure of 184.50kg of cocaine, the largest cocaine seizure made through a courier company in Nigeria.

According to him, the operation began with the interception of the cocaine consignment concealed for onward export through a courier logistics channel in Lagos.

He said following the seizure, he directed the constitution of a Special Investigation Team to trace the entire network behind the shipment, from the couriers to the masterminds.

Marwa said the cartel hoped to realise as much as N39bn from the consignment through its international distribution network.

“The operation began with the interception of a consignment of 184.50 kilograms of cocaine concealed for onward export through a courier logistics channel in Lagos. Given the scale of the seizure.

“I immediately directed the constitution of a Special Investigation Team, with a mandate to trace the entire network behind the shipment, from the couriers to the masterminds.

“The cartel was hoping to realise as much as N39 billion from the consignment through their international distribution network, ” the statement quoted Marwa as saying.

Working with the management of the courier company involved, Marwa said NDLEA operatives unravelled a network of intermediary companies and individuals used to process the consignment, leading to the arrest of two key suspects, among others.

“The first, Lawal Mujab Kehinde, a staff member of the logistics firm through which the cocaine was processed, was found to have a direct and sustained relationship with the cartel’s Nigerian coordinator. Investigation also established that he packages and processes consignments for the syndicate, routes them to the United Kingdom, other parts of Europe and Asia, while he was paid in cash.

“The second and more prominent suspect is Afolabi Kazeem Michael, popularly known online as “KC Luxury,” whom investigations identified as the Nigerian arrowhead of the cartel. Parading as a social media influencer and businessman dealing in gold, jewellery, and luxury goods, Afolabi used his glamorous public image to disguise a criminal enterprise moving cocaine along a pipeline stretching from South America, through Nigeria, to the United Kingdom, other parts of Europe and Asia,” Marwa said.

Marwa said Afolabi was arrested at the boarding gate of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on August 13, 2026, after intelligence indicated that he planned to flee the country on a business-class flight to Paris.

He said the suspect was found in possession of €7,750, £2,800 and N100,000 cash, as well as expensive jewellery.

A subsequent search of his luxury apartment on Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos, also led to the recovery of exotic vehicles, according to the NDLEA boss.

Marwa said investigations further showed that the cartel used false identities to conceal the true consignors of its shipments and relied on financial facilitators who moved billions of naira on its behalf.

He added that the syndicate maintained criminal contacts in the UK, some of whom had been arrested by British authorities in connection with the same cartel.

The NDLEA boss linked the operation to recent successes against transnational drug networks, including the dismantling of the Switzerland-based Simon Amadi drug cartel, which allegedly laundered millions of dollars through dark web marketplaces, as well as the takedown of two Nigerian-Mexican methamphetamine syndicates operating clandestine laboratories in forests in Ogun and Oyo states.

Marwa said the latest operation demonstrated that drug traffickers could no longer hide behind luxury lifestyles, forests, ports or courier companies.

“These operations send an unmistakable signal that this Agency’s reach extends into the ports, the forests, the luxury apartments, and the departure lounges alike, and that no sanctuary exists anywhere in Nigeria for those who traffic in poison,” he said.

He noted that drug trafficking organisations had recently shifted from seaports and airports, where scrutiny had intensified, to courier and logistics companies, which they allegedly considered less monitored channels for moving narcotics across international borders.

Marwa said the dismantling of the cartel, from the interception of the cocaine consignment to the arrest of its alleged Nigerian coordinator, demonstrated the agency’s capacity to detect traffickers wherever they operated.

“There is no alternative route into or out of Nigeria for illicit drugs that this Agency cannot police,” he stated.

The NDLEA chief also described the operation as a product of international cooperation, noting the near-simultaneous arrests of suspected cartel members in Nigeria and the UK.

He commended the agency’s international partners and members of the Special Investigation Team, coordinated by the Director of Operations and General Investigation, for their professionalism in unravelling the syndicate.

Marwa warned individuals who use luxury brands, glamorous lifestyles and social media personas to conceal drug trafficking activities that the agency would track them down.

“To those who believe they can hide behind luxury brands, glamorous lifestyles, and social media personas while trafficking poison into our communities and across our borders, this Agency will find you,” he said.