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As transport ministry denies project diversion
Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) Managing Director, Kayode Opeifa, yesterday, said the biggest challenge the NRC was battling with was vandals carting away rail tracks.
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Opeifa spoke when the President of the Chartered Institute of Transport Administration (CIOTA) visited NRC headquarters.
He appealed to foundries and iron melting companies to desist from buying rail tracks as scraps from vandals, warning that anyone caught with rail tracks would be treated and prosecuted as criminals.
According to him, the stealing of tracks is hampering the NRC from providing efficient services to Nigerians.
Opeifa said that as a fellow of the institute, he was overwhelmed by the words used in describing his modest achievement in the transport sector by the president of the institute, Prince Segun Obayendo.
The NRC boss stated that within the corporation, there were unsung heroes, who had worked to keep the agency on despite its numerous challenges.
He said he was proud of the quality of the human resources within the NRC.
“I have worked with them, Nigeria can build rail if only we are interested in using them. Our engineers can build rail track if the equipment is available.”
The President of CIOTA, Obayendo, pledged that the institute would be giving its full backing and support to Opeifa to succeed as a fellow of the institute.
He added that a lot of value propositions would be coming from the body, imploring the NRC MD to help ensure more staff of NRC get enlisted as members of CIOTA.
MEANWHILE, the Federal Ministry of Transportation has debunked allegations of diverting a $3 billion railway project from the South-East to Gombe State for political gains.
The Director of Information in the ministry Mrs Janet McDickson, described allegations that the Minister of Transportation, Sa’id Alkali, diverted the railway project to his home state as false and misleading.
The ministry stated that the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri railway rehabilitation project was ongoing, with significant progress made from Port Harcourt to Aba and ongoing works from Aba to Enugu.
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