•Minister, NRC MD apologise to reporters for ill-treatment
The Minister of Transportation, Saidu Ahmed Alkali, and Managing Director, Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Mr. Kayode Opeifa, have assured Nigerians that the Abuja–Kaduna rail service remains safe, dismissing speculation that last week’s train derailment on the corridor was the result of sabotage.
Speaking to reporters at the State House over the weekend, the Minister said investigations into the incident were ongoing, but preliminary findings suggest that it was caused by an operational issue rather than any deliberate act.
“We have fixed the point machine from here up to Kaduna, and since then, there has been no issue of derailment. For this incident, investigations are ongoing, and we don’t want to preempt the committee until it submits its report,” Alkali explained.
The Minister acknowledged that the country still grapples with recurring cases of vandalism of railway assets, despite several arrests and prosecutions in recent years.
He noted that the Federal Government, in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser, is finalising a plan to bolster the protection of critical rail infrastructure.
Alkali also hinted at ongoing procurement processes to extend rail connectivity from Warri to Ajaokuta and Abuja.
On efforts to restore the Abuja-Kaduna corridor after the accident, Alkali said four of the 10 derailed coaches had been evacuated using specialised rail cranes, while work continued to remove the remaining ones and repair the damaged section of the track.
He assured commuters that effort was being made to resume normal services as quickly and safely as possible.
The incident has drawn attention to Nigeria’s broader rail safety challenges.
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) indicate that between 2020 and this year, the country has recorded 188 train derailments.
Significantly, 183 of these occurred in just a three-year span: 57 in 2020, 61 in 2021, and 65 in 2022, underscoring derailments as the most common type of railway accident in recent times.
Observers have pointed to factors such as poor maintenance, ageing infrastructure, vandalism, and gaps in security as persistent problems for the rail sector.
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Responding to reports that N30 billion was allocated in the 2023 federal budget for rail security, the Minister clarified that although such a proposal was presented, it was not captured in the final Appropriation Act.
He, however, reiterated the government’s commitment to investing in new security measures, including advanced acoustic sensing systems to monitor and protect rail lines.
On the issue of press access during the incident, NRC Managing Director, Dr Kayode Opeifa, apologised to reporters, particularly to Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) reporter Comrade Ladi Bala, who was reportedly denied access to the accident scene.
His apology followed a protest letter from the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), which had condemned the harassment of its immediate past national chairperson.
“If any journalist or medium felt excluded or not well treated at the accident scene, I take full responsibility and I sincerely apologise. We are committed to transparency and will continue to provide the press with access and information as events unfold,” Opeifa said.
He also addressed concerns about safety, noting: “Nationwide, rail tracks are constantly targeted by vandals and scrap syndicates. But with specific reference to this incident, the track showed no signs of sabotage or structural failure. Our initial findings indicate it was an operational accident at a junction point.”
Opeifa confirmed that 618 passengers on board the derailed train were safely evacuated, adding that 20 sustained minor injuries, while seven were hospitalised but had since been discharged.
The NRC, he added, has borne all medical expenses for the affected passengers.
The recent incident has rekindled debates over the safety of Nigeria’s railways, which have experienced a surge in patronage since the federal government launched new standard gauge lines such as the Abuja–Kaduna and Lagos–Ibadan corridors.
As the NBS figures highlight, however, ensuring consistent safety across the network remains a challenge.
For now, the Ministry of Transportation and NRC maintain that the Abuja-Kaduna line remains secure, with efforts underway to restore full operations and implement long-term measures to guarantee the safety of passengers and rail assets.
