Managing Director of Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), Mr. Fidet Okhiria has dismissed a report on the allegation of the stealing of railway coaches in Maiduguri, Borno State which led to the arrest and detention of some NRC workers.
Mr. Okhiria stated this on Monday during an investigative hearing into the rampant vandalisation of Nigeria’s Railway tracks and other assets of the Corporation in many parts of the country, held at the instance of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Land Transport, chaired by Hon. Blessing Onuh.
Speaking on the arrest of its officials in Maiduguri, Mr. Okhiria, who dismissed the allegations which led to the detention by the security agencies against NRC workers, explained that what happened in Maiduguri was a result of a communication gap.
The NRC helmsman who explained that coaches are moved to locations where they are needed during the routine work, affirmed that the coaches in Maiduguri were being taken to the NRC’s workshop in Jos, Plateau State when they were intercepted.
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While noting that the issue was later resolved, he disclosed that the Joint Task Force was duly informed about the plan to move the coaches since September through a letter addressed to the Theater Commander.
According to him, “After this incident, we have moved coaches and we are still going to move coaches. It’s a federal establishment. We don’t seek permission from the states to move something.
“Ordinarily, we involve our police who protect our tracks and who provide security for the movement. They were duly informed and we also duly informed the Area Commander in that area.
“But when they stopped it, we have to react. After this, we have moved other rolling stocks to other places. It’s an internal arrangement to move coaches.
“Even now, we are to move coaches from Lagos to Port Harcourt. So, it’s within Nigeria Railway’s ambit to move things to places. That’s what we call balancing stocks.
“So, the three trucks that were arrested were in cooperation with the NSCDC and our police command that are working with their headquarters. What happened the day before yesterday at Ilorin, the CP was giving instructions to the Area Commander in Ibadan to go to Ilorin.
“So, as to the quantity of the scraps, I will say here that, the Ministry under the Minister has set up a Committee made up of seven men, with a Director in the Ministry heading the Team to sort out what is scrap and what is usable and that Committee has been inaugurated and they are working.
“And today, I cannot state how many sleepers or rails are scarp because until that Committee finishes their job, nobody can categorically say about the volume of scraps.”
In the bid to address the challenge facing the Corporation, he disclosed that the Minister of Transport has inaugurated a Committee that is presently going around the country to ascertain the volume and value of the assets of the Corporation across the country.
While noting that the Corporation was fighting a big battle with vandals who are out to sabotage its efforts, Mr. Okhiria lamented that: “it’s a big battle we are fighting with the real vandalisation. There are areas our staff cannot get to, especially on the Kabba-Kaduna axis.
“In order for the Railway to protect what is under its care, we made an advert that, no scrap is on sale except for one company – CAM, and any vehicle seen on the road, should be stopped and arrested.
“And recently, we started moving from Kano to Lagos and because of the fear, we stopped at Ilorin overnight. We set staff to monitor the track from Offa to Ilorin, the track was vandalized. Luckily, the people were arrested.”
In her remarks, Chairman, House Committee on Land Transport, Hon. Blessing Onuh said the investigation was prompted by the incident regarding the movement of Coaches from Maiduguri to Jos which sparked speculations about the alleged stealing of NRC’s assets across the country.
She explained that Nigerians are worried about the state of NRC assets, especially with regards to the safety of the tracks amidst incidences of vandalisation of the tracks sleepers which were intercepted in many parts of the country.