Eastern rail line may be ready before 2027- NRC MD

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Dr Kayode Opeifa, says the corporation is hopeful that the Federal Government will reconstruct Eastern Railway line before 2027.

Opeifa disclosed this during his “Familiarisation Tour To The Eastern District, Enugu” on Thursday.

Acknowledging that lack of reconstruction affected the eastern rail line which was once best and vibrant rail corridor, Opeifa said the Federal Government was determined to make sure the corridor was back to working condition.

“We are hopeful that it will be done before 2027 as the president is desirous to deliver it and it will be a good thing for it to be ready before 2027.

“I can tell you, activities will begin in them soon. Eastern rail will come back very soon but there is no timeline as the timeline is based on weather and fund releases,” he said.

He added that there was existing contract to repair the line from Port Harcourt to Enugu.

“There are plans to get the track rolling from Port Harcourt to Onne and from Aba to Enugu and that plan is ongoing. It is a funding issue but it has been resolved,” Opeifa said.

The Managing Director also debunked the report that work on the track was diverted from Eastern District to Gombe State.

He however, explained that a contract could not be moved from one place to another, describing it as a “financial offence”.

On the sales of NRC property in Enugu, the NRC boss said Railway Properties Management Company did not sell land but leased it out to generate revenue.

“However, when it is grabbed by wrong people, then, it becomes an issue and we will move to recover them”.

He pointed out that the corporation would demolish any building on rail line, warning individuals involved to remove them.

On demolition of some of the training schools by the Enugu State Government, the managing director revealed that discussions were ongoing to resolve it.

He assured staff on Grade Level six that the training schools across the nation would be brought back to life for the officers to upgrade their level, decrying that it was inhuman treatment for a staff to remain in a particular level for many years.

Opeifa, however, called on Nigerians not to see railway asset as scrap but national asset, advising them to protect them.

“Those unusable can be recycled but anyone calling to buy them as a scrap is a scammer while those involved in the act will be punished,” he reiterated.

He commended the Abia and the Enugu State Governments as well as the Nigeria Police Force for protecting rail facilities in the zone.

It will be recalled that the rail project, flagged off by former President Muhammadu Buhari in March 2021, was to be funded by 85 per cent foreign loan and 15 per cent counterpart contribution of the federal government, with a delivery timeline of two years.

It was learnt that the federal government’s 15 per cent stake had been instrumental to the ongoing work on the Port Harcourt-Aba section of the over 2000km stretch but the rest has been left fallow.

Besides complaints about the “unattractive” funding model, residents lamented the removal of the old rail tracks without a definite plan for their replacement.

Moreso, the Eastern corridor got a narrow-gauge approval as opposed to the standard gauge on the South-West and North-West, stretches from Port Harcourt through the South-East, Middle-Belt, North-East and terminates in Maiduguri, Borno state.