Who Killed Nigerian Railway?

Three full decades after the Nigeria Railways Corporation collapsed, successive administrations have always managed to gloss over the matter as a non-issue during public debate. No White Paper was ever issued on either the remote and immediate causes of the collapse nor were individuals or corporate persons indicted.

Despite what is believed to be usual government “tactic” in concealing the corrupt activities of select corporate individuals that contributed to the ruin of the country the question has been asked recurrently like the ‘Who killed Dele Giwa”. People continue to ask the Federal Government…………. Who are those that “killed the Nigerian Railways?

Grapevine and insinuation still cling to gist about pioneer transporters, industrialists as the brains behind the fall of the once vibrant Nigerian railways system, which collapse manifested in the mid 1980s. By early 1990, the haulage wagons of the railways were the first to be “afflicted” with sudden mechanical defaults arising from breakdown and lack of maintenance.

Meanwhile, the road transport sub-sector coincidentally witnessed an era of boom in truck haulage system. The sights of newly imported 200 trucks moving in convoy from the ports in Lagos to locations in the north usually attract small crowds in communities along the major road from Ibadan, through Ogbomoso to Jebba junction, Ilorin and further up to the northern axis. Within five years, convoy of 1000 trucks, either trailers or petroleum tankers, began to lose attraction.

At the same time less and less of railway wagons  were steadily depleting in numbers until the entire railway system packed up, late 1990.

Nigerian roads, which hitherto had record of light traffic in cars and moderate mini-buses came under heavy pressure of haulage trucks.

The tear and wear on the roads increased considerably and there began the era of weak and considerably over-used road network with limited maintenance.

The era also witnessed accelerated increase in road accidents as well as deaths and different degrees of deformity arising from road mishaps.

There is no doubt that the present administration has done so much to expose the causes of the destruction of public utilities and services, in the pursuit of its transparency agenda. The circumstance leading to the problems of Ajaokuta Steel Rolling mills, the four moribound refineries, pension fund scam, NNPC Fuel Subsidy  are at various stages of probe.

Nigerians have been told that some of these projects were bound from the conception stage to fail since they were merely conceived as either white elephant projects or political projects. The Nigeria Railway Corporation certainly does not fall into any of the above categories.

No matter how much past and present administrations try to hide the truth, the  public is ever getting aware of a conspiracy between the untouchables in the Nigerian organised private sector and officials of past and present governments to ensure that the Nigerian Railways is never resuscitated.

These entrenched personal interests overshadow the corporate interest of Nigeria and must perpetually concede in considerable terms if not out rightly submit in general terms.

It would be recalled that in September, 2005 amid this state of affairs, an elder statesman by all standards, an ex-governor of the defunct Bendel State, Brigadier General Samuel Ogbemudia (Rtd), lifted the veil that has for so long concealed those responsible for the fall of the railways system in Nigeria. He made the startling revelation as a guest at the African Independent Television (AIT). Hear him, “when I took over the Nigeria Railway Corporation, the Road Transport Employees Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), visited me and said, I, should scale down on my activities. They said they borrowed money from the bank to buy their trucks and that I did not borrow money to buy the railway wagons. I told them, I couldn’t do that, they said sorry, if you don’t we will make sure that you do not get any more money from government. I thought it was a joke but it turned out to be so, adding that soon afterwards they again came to his office with offensive weapons to terrorise him. The Brigadier fled for his dear life and begged to resign.

Over seven years after this revelation both the past and the present governments ignored this vital information. At this sober stage after the first engagement of CCECC to revive the railways under the Late General Abacha, a plan that gulped about $40.5 million the present administration is seeking $500 million,  loan from China to execute the same project by the same company which was awarded the contract under Gen. Abacha.

If the government is sincere  it should be commended for coming to its senses. The commendation should be seen as prompted by the revelation by the Brigadier General Ogbemudia.

Nigerians would want to know if Mr President will probe this revelation or let it go under the carpet as usual. The question ever remains, “Who killed Nigeria Railways? The world is watching!

Nkpemenyie Mcdominic