The Federal Government has taken a major step towards strengthening rail safety oversight in the country.

The government, through the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), is engaging with the United Kingdom’s (UK) Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) in a strategic technical partnership to upgrade the country’s rail accident investigation framework.

A statement on Tuesday by the Director-General, NSIB, Captain Alex Badeh Jr., said that the engagement, which took place on February 12, 2026, in the UK, was formally confirmed through official correspondence from RAIB’s Derby Operational Centre, emphasising the institutional weight attached to the collaboration by the UK authority.

Badeh Jr. said the NSIB delegation participated in a structured peer-review and technical capacity-building mission.

According to him, exercise was designed to benchmark Nigeria’s rail accident investigation procedures against internationally recognised standards and adapt tested investigative models to the country’s rapidly expanding rail network.

During the mission, he said both agencies exchanged expertise on investigative methodologies, quality assurance systems, digital case management processes, and investigator competency development.

The Nigerian team was also exposed to RAIB’s specialised investigative facilities and technologies, which provided insights into building a resilient, technology-driven accident investigation system, the Director-General said.

The statement added: “As Nigeria continues to expand its intercity rail corridors and urban transit systems, the integrity of its safety oversight mechanisms becomes increasingly consequential. Strengthening investigative capability is not merely reactive; it is preventive.

“Robust, independent investigations generate actionable safety intelligence that informs regulatory refinement, operational improvements, and long-term risk mitigation strategies.

“Recognising this, there is, of course, much work yet to be done by the NSIB. Building a world-class rail accident investigation unit requires sustained investment – in people, equipment, systems and the institutional culture of rigour and independence that makes investigation findings credible.”

Badeh Jr. added that investigation recommendations must also be acted upon by the relevant authorities if Nigeria were to be regarded as a developed railway nation.

According to him, investigative findings must be made publicly accessible, while the Rail Accident Investigation Unit must be staffed and equipped to respond rapidly and professionally when incidents occur.

He added that for NSIB, the collaboration came at a pivotal moment, following the enactment of the NSIB Act 2022, which expanded the bureau’s mandate beyond aviation to include rail, marine, and other modes of transportation, transforming it into a fully multimodal safety investigation authority.