From left: Managing Director, Nigerian Railway Corporation, Engr. Fidet Okhiria, Minister of Transport, Mu’azu Jaji Sambo, a female official of the Ministry and chairman, Governing Board of the NRC, Engr. Ibrahim Alhassan Musa during a courtesy visit to the Minister in Abuja, recently.

Minister of Transport, Mu’azu Jaji Sambo, has said that the Federal Government is planning to unbundle the Nigerian Railway Corporation by bringing in private operators as part of measures to make it effective and efficient and ultimately boost service delivery.

The Minister has also hinted that normal rail services would resume after adequate security surveillance services have been installed to forestall a repeat of the security breaches.       

Speaking in Abuja Thursday, when members of the NRC Governing Board paid him a courtesy visit, the Minister said the NRC cannot continue to be owner, operator and regulator at the same time, insisting that the private sector, which is the engine of growth, would be brought in to operate its lines more efficiently.

“We cannot have an agency that is owner, regulator and operator at the same time”, the Minister warned.                     

While briefing the board members on what the government is doing concerning resumption of rail services, the Minister said commercial operations will resume after security measures are installed to forestall reoccurrence of train attacks in the country. “We are looking at how the rail lines can be safe by putting 24- hour surveillance and immediate response apparatus”.                               

Furthermore, he said the security measures will include short and long term plans, with the short term plans taking effect from November. 

Speaking further, Sambo said that in addition to the security measures, he had promised Nigerians that rail services will become operational only when those kidnapped in the Abuja – Kaduna train service have regained their freedom and are reunited with their families.                     

“I’ve told Nigerians that I will not run the services until every captive is released. We are lucky today, they are all released and reunited with their families. We are also lucky that all of them are back alive and have all been given proper medical care”, the Minister added.                  

In relation to rail infrastructure development in the country, the Minister said no government has invested more in infrastructure than the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. ” I dare say that no government has invested in infrastructure more than the President Muhammadu Buhari’s government”.                                                    

The Minister, further informed that a National Transport Policy that will articulate a seamless transport system for the country will soon be launched, urging the board to prepare itself by looking for alternative sources of cheaper and cleaner energy for the transport sector.

Chairman of the NRC board, Engr. Ibrahim Alhassan Musa informed the Minister that due to the high cost of diesel, the cost of running the trains has gone so high, admitting, in fact that they are running at a loss.

He called on the Minister to intervene as railway service is one of the things the present administration prides itself of, especially the Lagos – Ibadan, the Warri – Itakpe and the Abuja-Kaduna railway lines.