The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), yesterday, said that 524 firms had expressed interest in its 2024 Capital Procurement Project.
The Managing Director of the NRC, Mr Fidet Okhiria, said this in Lagos at the 2024 Bid Opening Exercise, an annual event in line with the Procurement Act.
Okhiria was represented by Dr Monsurat Omotayo, Director, Administration and Human Resources of the NRC.
According to Okhiria, the exercise is important in that the NRC is hoping to get suitable organisations that will support the Federal Government’s New Hope Agenda as regards the corporation.
“This programme is very significant because it defines the beginning of our Capital Procurement process for 2024 and it is in line with the extant rules and Procurement Act.
“It is one process that is important for us to do. It is to show fairness and transparency to all the people that responded to our advertisement,” he said.
Okhiria pointed out that the NRC was committed to a fair, thorough and transparent process, as the process was very detailed for all the different criteria put out for the bidders to follow.
The NRC boss noted that advertisement commenced on March 18 and was extended to April 16, due to the Easter and Sallah celebrations.
“We have evaluators here to evaluate all the documents and it is going to be a very detailed exercise which we do every year. Anybody that passes through this phase credibly, will pass it.
“We have 524 bidders that showed interest across the three categories which are works, goods and services.
“This process is corruption-free, which is why we invited the media and we have professional bodies to see how the process goes,” he said.
Also, Mr Ben Iloanusi, Director, Procurement, NRC, listed commodities under works to include renovation, roads, repair of locomotives and coaches.
“Goods have to do with basic supplies like lubricants, automobile gasoline, spare parts, track materials and others and in services, we have insurance, alternative revenue generation and others,” he said.
Iloanusi said that the NRC had a lot of projects, about 500, adding that everything was dependent on the corporation’s budget, but it would push priority projects forward.
“The budget for the NRC for this year is about N11 billion, and it will be spread across the projects pending on their priorities.
“Over the years, we do not get anything less than 1000 bidders, from 700 upward but this time we have about 524,” he said.
The Tide’s source reports that external observers at the event were a non-governmental organisation, Civil Liberty Organisation; Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply Management; Ministry of Transportation and others.

Subscribers to Multichoice, a satellite television service provider in Nigeria, have decried the recent increase in monthly subscription fees for DSTV and GOtv.
They expressed concern that the increase in subscription fees is a significant financial burden.
Multichoice currently enjoys the monopoly of satellite television service provider in Nigeria.
Early in the week, Multichoice revealed its new subscription rates, citing operational costs and the need to enhance service quality.
For DSTV, the premium bouquet now costs N37,000.00 from N29,500, Compact Plus N19,800 now N25,000.00, Compact N12,500 to N15,700, Comfam from N7,400 to N9,300 and other packages also experienced substantial hikes.
Similarly, GOtv subscribers saw their monthly subscription surge, with the Value and Plus packages being affected. For instance, the Jolli GOtv monthly package which currently goes for N3,950 will be N4,850 effectively from May 1.
The announced price increment has elicited widespread condemnation from some Nigerians, who view it as insensitive, considering the prevailing economic hardship.
The Tide reports that social media platforms have been flooded with expressions of condemnation and frustration, with many subscribers questioning the justification for the steep price increase.
Mr Ebuka Victor, a Facebook user, urged the Federal Government to address the incessant increase and also break the monopoly being enjoyed by the company.
According to him, DSTV is killing Nigerians, the Federal Government must urgently intervene and rescue the citizenry from the monopoly Multichoice is enjoying.
Mr Benjamin Chukwucheben, also a user of Facebook asked rhetorically, “is there no regulatory body in Nigeria to stop the incessant increase in subscription for DSTV ?”
He claimed that Multichoice had increased subscription fees more than three times within a year.
Many subscribers have, therefore, called on the regulatory bodies such as the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Consumer Protection Council (CPC), to investigate the rationale behind the price hike.
Mr Frank Akpata, in his intervention on his Facebook page, said; “Nigerians should get a smart TV or use their PS5 console, download and subscribe to all streaming platforms available.
“You will watch sports, movies with updated independent source news in real time as well. And there are enough animations for kids.”
Mr Abdullahi Adamu, another Facebook user, said “the price hike is coming at a time when many Nigerians are grappling with inflation, unemployment, and dwindling purchasing power.”
Ms Tomi Ifeayinchukwu, a digital marketer, told The Tide source in Abuja that she doesn’t subscribe to DSTV, she relies on streaming platforms for her entertainment.
“Since I moved into this present apartment, I did not bother to subscribe to DSTV. I rely solely on streaming platforms”, she said.
Mariam Ajala, an engineer, also told The Tide source that she just pays for DSTV subscription but uses streaming platforms for her entertainment.
She, however, added that with this increment, she would stop subscribing to the DSTV service.

The University of Nigeria (UNN) Technology Advancement Programme (UNTAP), yesterday began an innovative forum to address the increasing number of unemployable graduates in the country.
The Tide’s correspondent reports that the forum tagged “UNTAP Innovative Forum” is aimed at encouraging students to present their innovative skills before some captains of industry for sponsorship.
The event held at the University of Nigeria Enugu Campus (UNEC), has the theme “Presentation of Innovative Idea from Creative Forum”.
Our correspondent reports that eight students were selected to present their innovative works before the captains of industries and prospective sponsors.
Speaking at the event, the Director of UNTAP, Prof. Geraldine Ugwuonah, said the forum was aimed at harvesting talent from the young people and lecturers from the university.
She said the university had identified increasing number of unemployable graduates due to their ill-equipped and ill-prepared for life and work and decided to change the narrative.
Ugwuonah, a Professor of Marketing at the University, said the event was its maiden outing to create awareness for a wider community.
According to Ugwuonah, a lot of students have ideas lying idle inside them but lack mentoring and sponsorship.
“I work with my team members to identify and work towards realising these innovative ideas in them.
“We have listened to them before as we started since February and we try to fine tune some of the ideas they had by putting them into perspective.
“Those that participated in the presentation will be our ambassadors. We brought people who are from industries to hear them out and support them,” she said.
She added that through UNTAP they had linked so many others to sponsors, adding that the university was planning a bigger event to gather the students to listen and learn how to develop their ideas.
Also speaking, the Manager of UNTAP, Dr Chinedum Aranotu, said the centre started in 2015 to help student inventors to initiate ideas and take up to the next level.
He said that they took the students through different processes that included coaching, mentoring and sponsoring.
“Aaron Esumeh, the Chief Executive officer of Greenage Technologies was my first product and today, they are building the biggest inverter battery in Nigeria through funded agencies in USA and Europe.
“The investors are here to support them and after prototype, we start taking them round. We will keep encouraging them, taking their products to different levels until they see people that buy into the ideas,” he said.
An investor and owner of Bon Sunshine Hotel in Enugu, Mr Emeka Nwandu, expressed satisfaction with the presentations by the participants and pledged to assist those who focused on renewable energy.
He commended UNTAP for the initiative which he said would go a long way in reducing unemployment in the country.
Sharing his experience, Esumeh, who manufactures solar equivalent inverters and charge controllers in Enugu, said they started from a programme like UNTAP until help came their way.
While encouraging them never to give up, he pledged to support the winner of the presentation, Victory Wellington with N1.5 million to develop his project.
Responding, Wellington, a 100 level student of Civil Engineering, UNN, presenting his innovation on Renewal Energy, said the constant epileptic power supply in Nigeria pushed him and his team into it.
He said that with support from sponsors, the team would produce consistent and cheapest alternating power supply for firms and households in the country.
The highlight of the event was the award of N100, 000 cash prize to Wellington who emerged first and N50, 000 to Samuel Ojile that came second with a presentation on Revamping Education.
The other six participants received N20, 000 each as consolation prizes.