Connect with us

Business

Train Services: NRC To Address Overcrowding

Published

11 years ago

on

The Nigeria Railway Cor
poration (NRC) has acquired two trains and six coaches as part of  efforts at providing better services and addressing overcrowding.
Mr Akin Osinowo, Regional General Manager, Lagos District, disclosed this while speaking with journalist in Lagos State, stressing that the acquisition would ensure efficient service delivery.
The district runs 16 trips daily in its Mass Train Transit (MTT) services and is usually overcrowded while some commuters sit on the train roof top due to limited number of coaches.
Osinowo said that one of the two special trains would be deployed to the Lagos District to meet commuters’ demands.
“In terms of congestion, yes, it is a big problem, there is no doubt about that especially for our services within Lagos, what we call our MTT services.
“And we can see this in terms of people hanging by the door and some climbing the roofs.
“However, there is hope in the sense that as we speak, NRC is getting ready to ship in two units of what we call Diesel DMUs.
“These are like special train fully air-conditioned that will be run, at least, we know that one of them will be deployed in Lagos District.
“That will give us more frequent services, better services in terms of comfort and an increase in the number of passengers that we can carry.
“So, before the end of the first quarter this year Lagos State will start enjoying a better service from NRC.
“Another thing we are expecting is six air conditioned coaches and these coaches will also be deployed not only on our inner city services but also the intra city services.
“Again this is going to be in addition to the existing coaches.”
Speaking on the overcrowding of Lagos MTT services, Osinowo said that most of the existing coaches were old and thus affecting the number of trips they could make.
“One of the things we need to appreciate is that our rolling stock which is our fleet of coaches is very old. If the situation were ideal, probably a large percentage of them should have been scrapped.
“It is giving kudos to the ingenuity of our engineers to still keep some of these coaches working. There are things that come with running an old stock; there will be frequent break downs.
“Because safety is a number one issue with us, then the frequency of maintenance is also high, so we don’t manage a coach if there is 10 percent or five percent for a coach to be okay we will withdraw it from service and make sure we repair it.
“And because of the age of these coaches, the withdrawal from service is frequent.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Business

NPA Assures On Staff Welfare 

Published

2 weeks ago

on

June 27, 2025

By

The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, has said the management will continue to accompany its port infrastructure  and equipment  modernization drive  with the development of the welfare of its personnel.
Dantsoho made the disclosure recently while responding to the commendation by the Maritime Workers Union (MWUN) and the senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies (SSASGOC) on the  clearing  of the age-long problem of employee stagnation, when the union paid him a courtesy visit at the Authority’s headquarters in Lagos.
A Statement by NPA’s General Manager Corporate & Strategic Communications, Mr. Ikechukwu Onyemekara, quoted Dantsoho as saying,  “our Port infrastructure and equipment modernization drive will go hand-in-hand with continuous staff welfare improvement”.
The NPA MD disclosed that human capital development constitutes the key strategy for creating and sustaining superior performance under his watch, adding that “talent development constitutes a critical success factor for the actualization of the big hairy audacious goals we have set for ourselves especially in the area of Port competitiveness.
“The only way we can meet and indeed exceed stakeholders’ expectations is to deepen the competencies of our human resources assets and boosting their morale.”
Speaking further, Dantsoho commended the Honourable Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, for approving the strategic proposal of the Dantsoho-led Management team that solved the over a decade-long problem of lack of promotion that had fuelled industrial disharmony.
“I must specially appreciate our amiable Minister for graciously approving the multi-pronged stratagem we deployed that cleared all outstanding cases of employee stagnation by conducting examinations in one fell swoop and instituted timelines to forestall a recurrence of such anomaly”, he sad.
Speaking on behalf of the joint maritime labour unions, the President  of Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations & Government-Owned Companies (SSASCGOC), Comrade Bodunde stated, “In addition to clearance of the backlog of stagnated promotions, we also wish to express our appreciation for the increase in productivity bonuses, provision of end-of-year welfare packages for staff, and the revision of the Financial Guide to the Condition of Service, which now addresses our members’ concerns about inflationary pressures.”
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
Continue Reading

Business

ANLCA Chieftain Emerges FELCBA’s VP

Published

2 weeks ago

on

June 27, 2025

By

National Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Elder Olumide Fakanlu, has been elected Vice President of the Federation of ECOWAS Licensed Customs Brokers Association (FELCBA).
The election took place during the FELCBA Congress, held from Tuesday, June 17th to Thursday, June 19th, 2025, in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Fakanlu’s emergence as Vice President marks a significant achievement for Nigeria within the regional customs brokerage community.
Apart from Fakanlu, Secretary of the Seme Chapter of ANLCA, Austin Nwosu, was also elected, securing the role of Secretary of Relations with Institutions.
The Nigerian delegation played an active role in the congress, with Michael Ebeatu nominated as a member of the electoral officer team, ensuring a fair and transparent election process.
The three-day congress concluded with delegates undertaking a visit to the Sierra Leone Port, offering insights into the host nation’s maritime operations, followed by a recreational trip to the Tokeh Beach.
The newly elected executives are expected to lead FELCBA in its efforts to harmonize customs brokerage practices, promote trade facilitation, and advocate for the interests of licensed customs brokers across the ECOWAS sub-region.
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
Continue Reading

Business

NSC, Police Boost Partnership On Port Enforcement 

Published

2 weeks ago

on

June 27, 2025

By

In a bid to enhance more enforcement in the nation’s Port, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has reaffirmed its commitment to stronger inter-agency collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
The Council said the collaboration is aimed at enhancing stronger enforcement, compliance and improve operational efficiency across Nigeria’s ports.
Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of  NSC, Dr. Pius Akutah, made this known during a visit to the  Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The visit, which he said, focused on strengthening institutional synergy, comes in the wake of growing responsibilities for the NSC under the newly created Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
Akutah emphasized the critical role of security agencies in supporting port operations and ensuring regulatory compliance.
He called for the posting of police officers to assist the Council’s monitoring and enforcement teams at key port locations including Lagos, Warri, Onne, Port Harcourt, and Calabar.
“The posting will complement the activities of our revived task teams and enhance our ability to enforce standards across the maritime logistics chain”, he said.
Earlier, the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Egbetokun, assured the Council of the Force’s readiness to continue supporting the growth of the maritime sector.
The IGP acknowledged that compliance enforcement is essential to the successful implementation of Nigeria’s Blue Economy objectives.
“The NSC and NPF are expected to deepen collaboration in the months ahead, with a shared focus on building a secure, efficient, and competitive port environment”, to the IGP emphasized.
Chinedu Wosu
Continue Reading

Trending