Follow Us on Google
By Fidelis Ugbomeh
Considering the recent announcement made by management of Nigerian Railway Corporation to re-start daily freight train services from Lagos to Kano on the narrow gauge railway corridor, stakeholders in the railway sector have called for procurement of additional Locomotive engines and provision of security as incentives to make it a reality.
While welcoming the current efforts of NRC management aimed at strengthening partnerships with the private sector to enhance carriage of goods by rail, they opined that the few functional Locomotive engines in the narrow gauge fleet of the corporation cannot be enough to meet demand for daily freight movement from Lagos to Kano and back by rail.
However, Management of Nigerian Railway Corporation, NRC and Inland Container Nigeria Limited, ICNL, Kaduna have expressed commitment to continue their engagement and draw a road map for quick commencement of container freight to Kaduna and Kano on the narrow gauge, western line.
Managing Director of Nigerian Railway Corporation Dr. Kayode Opeifa in his remarks during a visit by management team of ICNL led by managing director, Mr. Omotayo Dada to NRC headquarters in Lagos recently assured management of Inland Container Nigeria Limited, Kaduna, of seamless movement of containers by rail from Apapa Port, to Kaduna and Kano.
Opeifa said the corporation is willing to partner with major movers of large containers from across the country adding that only recently, the corporation renewed partnership with APMT for movement of containers from Apapa to the Inland Dry Port in Ibadan, Oyo State.
He explained further that with the ICNL partnership, the corporation hopes to move additional 50 to 100 containers per day from Lagos to Kano via, Apapa, Ijoko, Ilorin, Minna, and Kaduna.
Earlier, the director of operations and commercial of the corporation, Mr Akin Osinowo, said the corporation is in talks with many manufacturers, including the Dangote Group of Companies and BUA, among others.
He added that the NRC still continues to service Lafarge, taking cement consignments from Ewekoro to Osogbo and Ilorin.
Osinowo however said any company or terminal operator partnering is expected to add value to rail movement by using their size and stature to prospect new customers in order to boost the railway’s haulage capacity.
He restated that ICNL is a long standing customer of the corporation, adding that some of the factors that led to the stoppage of cargo movement especially on the narrow gauge are being addressed.
On insecurity, especially between Minna and Kaduna, and the washouts of several portions of the rail tracks among others, the director posited that the issues are being aggressively addressed either by the corporation’s team of engineers or Federal government.
In his own remarks, managing director, ICNL Mr. Omotayo Dada said the visit to NRC was aimed at seeking partnership to move more containers to the north
According to him, management of the terminal is desirous to sustain and expand containerized movement from Apapa port to Kaduna.
In a swift reaction, Mr. Eric Umezurike, a Freight Forwarder, held a contrary view saying, “Nigerian Railway Corporation has only six functional narrow gauge Locomotive engines out of which three have been stationed in Lagos where there is traffic and two deployed to Zaria for servicing the Kaduna-Kano corridor while the last one has been designated to run the daily, Port-Harcourt-Aba, return passenger train service”.
He averred that the corporation should purchase at least 30 additional Locomotive engines before announcing offer to provide daily freight train service from Lagos to Kano and back
The freight forwarder stated that the last time the corporation embarked on trial-run of a freight train from Lagos to Dala Inland Dry port in Kano late last year, the train spent about one week enroute.
According to him, the freight train used for test-running spent one week from Lagos to Kano because it was not allowed to move at nights due to insecurity in some northern parts of the country and breakdown of the two locomotive engines attached at intervals during transit.
Umezurike who is the managing director of First Rit Nigeria Limited noted that during the return journey of the freight train from Kano to Lagos, the Locomotive engine broke down at Kajola in Ogun State and it took one day before another engine could be provided to convey the export goods/empty containers to Apapa port.
Corroborating, Mr. Jonathan Ikhafia, a retired railway officer posited that the Nigerian Railway Corporation requires more that 100 functional Locomotive engines with adequate spare-parts backup and skilled drivers to operate a succesful daily freight service throughout the country.
He said further that the promise by the NRC boss that the corporation will soon commence movement of between 50 and 100 containers daily from Lagos port to the north was a political statement that is not realistic.
Ikhafia advised the new helmsman to focus on how to process “Letters of Credit” representing 20% counterpart funding stipulated in the agreement with Exim Bank of China for supply of 50 narrow gauge Locomotive engines by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation as passed by the National Assembly in the 2024 budget.
The ex-railway officer noted that as soon as Nigeria meets its own obligation with the bank the engines will be supplied adding that the last time 10 Locomotive engines were imported to boast the fleet of narrow gauge Locomotive engines in NRC was between 2007/2008 during the administration of late Musa Yar’Adua.
He said that this gap in rail development cannot be compared to South Africa with a population of approximately 63.21 million and rail network of 30,400 kilometres which has over 1,064 Locomotive engines (standard gauge) whereas Nigeria has a population of approximately 250 million people and a rail network of over 3,505 kilometers (Not standard gauge) and 6 functional narrow gauge Locomotive engines.
