The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigeria Railway Corporation

  • Work on Lagos-Ibadan rail begins April 14 – NRC

    Work on Lagos-Ibadan rail begins April 14 – NRC

    The Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) says that the construction of the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge rail would begin on April 14.

    The Managing Director of  NRC, Mr Fidet Okhiria, disclosed this on Wednesday in Lagos.

    Okhiria advised those who had encroached on the NRC land to start packing their belongings, to avoid their property being destroyed by bulldozers.

    “Those that are due for compensation will be compensated because it is part of the contract.

    “But those who encroached on the land have to leave the premises as soon as possible because the constructions will begin on Friday.

    “We intentionally did not give permits to so many people because we know that one day, the land will be required.

    “So we have already mapped out those places we need to remove and they are aware. We have told them to remove their valuables before the bulldozers start work,’’ he said.

    The MD said the projects would bring lots of socio-economic development to communities and major town along the axis.

    According to him, the NRC will deliver consistent services that will attract lots of commercial and social activities that will serve as employment to the teeming youths of the various communities.

    The standard gauge is going to have two stations along the axis; we will have stations in Omin Adio and Moniya in Ibadan.

    “The project will bring a lot of developments to the communities and improve the standard of living of people in the area,’’ Okhiria said.

    The NRC boss also appealed to indigenes of the various communities to cooperate with the construction workers in the course of their duties.

    He advised the people to give adequate support to workers, whenever the work gets to their villages.

    Okhiria advised the people to have positive minds towards the projects, adding that government was determined to improve rail services in the country to international standard.

    NAN

     

  • Rail assures pensioners of improved welfare

    The Managing Director of the Nigeria Railway Corporation, Mr. Adeseyi Sijuwade, has assured the corporation’s pensioners of improved welfare.

    He spoke at the beginning of a week-long nationwide verification exercise of the pensioners held in 33 centres across the country.

    He said: “The welfare and well-being of our pensioners will receive a boost through enhanced pension rates as all the recommendations made by the Ministerial Committee on pension rate increase are receiving attention and very sooner than anticipated, monthly pensions of our pensioners will be scaled up.  Having worked for the Corporation for so many years of your life and now that you are senior citizens, you deserve nothing less than a retired life of bliss and plenty”.

    He continued:“As you come out to participate in the 2014 exercise, I share in your joy of having another opportunity in the land of the living, to visit your former place of work where you will meet other retired men and women with whom you had worked when you were young and energetic men and women. I am sure that some great and nostalgic thoughts of yester-years will be running through your hearts as you come into the warmth and beauty of a new Nigerian Railway. I must thank you for serving the Corporation so dutifully well and for sustaining it for my generation to meet to work in. As the management and the workers of this Corporation are concerned, we are determined to do our best and to live a better Railway for the generation coming behind us.”

    Sijuwade said the Federal Government had been funding the Corporation to enable it pay the pensioners.

    The General Secretary of the Railway Branch of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Mr. Rafiu Balogun, said the pensioners identified with the exercise to eradicate ghost pensioners.

    “This exercise will go a long way to justify and sustain our persistent claim that there are no ghost pensioners in the NRC. It is the tradition of the Pensioners’ Union to collaborate with the management in lobbying for funds to offset genuine clams and entitlements of the pensioners. Therefore, we cannot afford to allow such money to go into wrong hands. Our Union is proud to associate with a management that does not tamper with or mismanage pension

    funds”, Balogun said.

    The Assistant Director (Pensions), Mrs. Adunola Oshunmakinde, said the pension verification exercise was imperative so as to generate a database of the pensioners.

    The database, according to Mrs. Oshunmakinde, would help the corporation to determine what amount of funds should be mobilised to pay the pensioners as and when due.