Why NRC suspends railway operations in Niger

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has attributed the suspension of operations on some of its rail lines to insecurity, banditry and vandalism of its rail tracks.

Mr John Otivere, an official of the NRC in Niger, disclosed this in Minna in an interview with our correspondent on the state of railway infrastructure across the country.

Our correspondent reports that Otivere spoke on behalf of Mrs Blessing Okanezi, District Rail Superintendent, NRC, Minna

Otivere, explained that the challenges of insecurity and vandalism had forced the corporation to halt operations on some routes.

He clarified that the narrow gauge rail lines was not abandoned, rather, the operations have been hindered by security challenges.

“Our lines are not abandoned, our train originates from Lagos down to Kano and returns from Kano down to Lagos,” he said.

The NRC official said the locations mostly affected by insecurity were Gwada, Sarkin-Pawa to Kuchi in Niger down to Gaddani towards Gwadada in Kaduna state.

He added that the train station in Gaddani, a border community between Niger and Kaduna had been closed for a long time now due to activities of bandits.

He added that Wushishi, Pakara and Akere also experienced the same challenges, adding that its last operations was in Dec. 2022.

Also speaking, Mr Femi Adewakun, District Internal Auditor, NRC in Niger, said the district carried out regular maintenance of its locomotive engines and rail lines.

Adewakun who also spoke on behalf of Alhaji Suleiman Obafun, Railway District Manager (RDM), in Niger, underscored the importance of rail network to the country’s economy and the need to prioritise the services.

“Here, we operate narrow gauge and we have always carry out maintenance of all our locomotive engines and rail lines inspection on daily basis,” he said.

Similarly, Mr Akin Atanda, District Civil Engineer, NRC in Niger, highlighted the impact of vandalism and banditry activities on railway operations.

He said that some locations had been completely taken over by bandits making it impossible to carry out maintenance or operate trains safely.

Atanda said that vandals had been removing tracks fastenings in some locations such as Beji axis.

“Some of the vandals were arrested and taken to court, while some are in prison,” he said.

He also cited the issue of washout of rail lines, particularly in Mokwa where erosions had removed some complete tracks.

Atanda said the combination of these challenges had affected train operations in the areas.

He emphasised the importance of safety in railway operations and the need to address the challenges hindering the operations.