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By Fidelis Ugbomeh
Provision of quarters for staff of government parastatals pre-dates 1898 when Nigerian Railway Corporation was established as one of the nation’s pioneering establishments.
Close to a century after this, in 1996 to be precise, former President Olusegun Obasanjo introduced monitization policy whereby the consolidated salary scheme, sales of official vehicles and quarters were offered to workers of government parastatals/agencies.
Despite full implementation of monitization policy by parastatals/agencies such as FAAN, defunct NITEL, Nigerian Ports Authority, (NPA) National Assembly, (APO Quarters) Nigerian Television Authority, (NTA) Daily Times Nigeria Limited (DTN), New Nigeria Newspaper amongst others, successive managements of NRC have partially implemented the policy leaving out sales of quarters to then sitting staff who are now retired.
This led to litigation by Nigerian Union of Railway Workers alongside it’s Senior Staff Association counterpart against management over partial implementation of monitization policy which has lingered for over two decades.
FG’s pull-back,expansion plans
The managing director of corporation, Dr. Kayode Opeifa had while fielding questions from workers during 2nd town hall meeting held recently between management and two in-house unions:Nigerian Union of Railway Workers, and Senior Staff Association, SSA, (NRC branch) in Lagos posited that although the union won at national industrial court, concerning sales of railway quarters but that management had since filed an appeal considering perculiarity of the service.
While vowing to uphold court ruling on the vexed matter he stated that management would continue to engage the unions on position of Federal government which after realizing the peculiarity of the corporation, pulled it back from the monetization drive instituted over two decades ago.
“The idea behind building of rest houses for its staff is not to build housing estates but to provide places of abode for essential operational staff, who would have need of living close to their operational bases in the overall interest of Nigerians
“Though the unions won the monetization case at the high court, we have filed an appeal, and the intention is to canvass the reason for the provision of the rest houses,” Opeifa affirmed.
He also disclosed that work would soon commence on the construction of a speed train, from Lagos to Abuja adding that this would require more space not only for construction of the corridor, but more modern quarters for the essential workers that would power its operations.
“These among others are the reason the Federal government pulled NRC back from the monetization policy implementation”, he said.
On the future projections, Opeifa disclosed that there are plans to rehabilitate corporate planning building, as well as accounts/audit and mechanical buildings, within the headquarters.
He also disclosed plans to embark on the construction of a befitting headquarters of the corporation at Murtala Muhammed Way, Ebute-Metta adding that the edifice when completed would be a reference point in the annals of the corporation.
Corroborating, special assistant, media Yinka Aderibigbe said that the decision to pull back by Federal government was based on the interest of future rail development in the country.
“The management is proposing to settle out of court with the union and whatever is outcome of the engagement will be made public”, he said
Aderibigbe also noted that the position of government is without prejudice to appeal court ruling which the MD promised to uphold except if government decides to take the case to supreme court.
NUR’s Push
Prior to this, Nigerian Union of Railway Workers (NUR) in a letter to managing director, of the corporation dated December 1, 2025 requested to retrieve railway quarters from Illegal occupants for reallocation to serving staff.
According to the letter signed by secretary general of the union, Comrade Igbokwe Francis and made available to Daily Sun, this is because the occupiers of the quarters are not staff of the corporation.
“This is not peculiar to one district but in all the districts and some of the reasons given by occupiers in kafanchan is that all the quarters were allegedly rented as property and rest houses by management and operation & commercial (O&C) staff of the corporation as the case may be
“In Bauchi, the staff retrenched in 2005 occupy the quarters after taking management to court. The court ordered sales of two VIP’s and railway institute and used the money to pay all their claims. Hence we demand that the houses be recovered immediately and allocated to serving staff”, Francis said.
He also noted that in Enugu “over 40% of our houses are still being occupied by staff retrenched in 2005 and outsiders. We hereby demand that management should liaise with the district to verify court injunctions they claim to have and to ensure the houses are retrieved and allocated to serving staff. We believe their claims are not genuine
“These illegal occupiers of quarters are not covered by the monitization policy and as such persona-non-grata to the quarters they are occupying,” the general secretary said.
He therefore implored the NRC boss to do something drastic and urgent so that staff who deservedly need the houses can have places to stay for proximity to work”.
Position of ANRSC
A group of retired railway workers under aegis of Association of Nigerian Railway Senior Citizens (ANRSC), faulted the union, saying retired staff still occupying railway quarters relied on national industrial court judgement of January 6, 2016 presided over by Justice Babatunde Adejumo which ordered management to comply with Federal government’s monitization policy as regards monitization of staff quarters.
According to a statement jointly signed by chairman and secretary general of the association, Comrade Segun Esan and Festus okorie respectively, “the judgement restored our rights to first refusal regarding disposal of railway quarters by selling the quarters to the workers
“As part of the benefits, the staff have right to bid and buy affected properties before it can be offered to public to bid for and purchase not allocation to serving staff
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“That pursuant to the approved guidelines members who are legal sitting tenants in the affected properties are entitled to right of first refusal”.
They also accused the union for taking contrary steps to the ongoing case saying, “the union wrote a letter the MD, NRC dated December 1,2025 requesting to retrieve railway quarters from Illegal occupants and allocate to serving staff”.
Esan described action of the union as subversive and attempt to overthrow government gazetted policy of monitization of staff quarters which remains a subject of litigation before appeal court.
He alleged that union of abdicated a just course of insisting on implementing monitization policy to misleading management to retrieve staff quarters that were duly allocated
The chairman stated further that it was the former managing director, Seyi Makinde that filed an appeal during his tenure adding that the appeal court adjourned hearing on the case from February 27, to May 5, this year but that during hearing on May 5, 2026 the management seeked for settlement out of court which was objected to.
He explained further that in the aftermath management, dangled the option of leasing of
quarters to the unions on behalf of the workers arguing that leasing cannot be replaced with monitization policy of government.
Esan stated that site of some quarters earlier demolished at Bauchi and Kano have been rebuilt and turned to estates by private investors.
Regarding pull-back from monitization of railway quarters by Federal government, he said that government alone cannot pull-back from a gazetted policy in isolation without recourse to the National Assembly.
Esan also reminded the advocates of leasing and relocation of quarters to serving staff that under the present dispensation the corporation has been removed from exclusive to concurrent list whereby state governments like Lagos now operate trains just as many private investors now have stake in the railways.
He posited that with the liberalisation of the corporation, it only behoves on management to implement monitization policy so as to boost the initiative of the President Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope of providing of housing for Nigerians.
Ex-staff narrative
While the litigation lasted management hitherto, identified and penciled some locations housing railway quarters along Murtala Mohammed Way, Ikeja in Lagos, Kano, Aba amongst others for demolition
The occupants especially serving staff were given a token to rent apartments outside railway premises for two years pending when they will be relocated to new sites at Tejuosho and Agege for those in Lagos.
However an ex-staff, Mr. Micheal Enejo whose quarters was demolished at Alagomeji while in service, said “I requested to be considered for relocation to the new site at Tejuosho but in response from the Admin/HR department of the corporation dated January 2, 2026 the request was turned down.
According to the reply, “no accommodation was extended to other retired staff whose quarters were demolished at Alagomeji and Ikeja during relocation of quarters/rest houses at Tejuosho new site and Agege relocation site respectively”.
The letter signed by assistant director, Admin/HR of the department Mr. A.M. Kolade stipulated further that “based on the foregoing, be informed that no replacement of quarters will be extended to Micheal Enejo”.
In the case of demolished Kano quarters, secretary general of Association of Nigerian Railway Senior Citizens, comrade Festus Okorie pointed out that the land has since been leased, rebuilt and renamed “Millionaire Estate”.
He said further that the estate as the name implies can only be afforded by rich people while the staff whose quarters were demolished in its place are still in limbo.
Other Perspectives
Meanwhile, the president general of NUR, Comrade, Jonathan Ajiji did not reply to a text message sent to him by our correspondent on the sudden resort to request for retrieval of quarters from ex-staff, despite ongoing case in court of appeal.
However, special assistant media, to NRC, boss, Mr. Yinka Aderibigbe pointed out that request for authority to retrieve quarters from ex-staff and allocate same to serving staff may not be unconnected to fact that the latter requires accommodation in order to perform their functions effectively especially after postings from one district to another.
“The union perhaps took the decision to make the request because if ex-staff are allowed to continue occuping quarters in proximity to their former offices where are the serving staff expected to stay after new postings”, he asked?
He explained further that rail service is operationally based adding that staff in public relations,signal & communications, operations & commercial, procurement, civil engineering and mechanical department to mention but a few are expected to reside close to their places of work.
A retired junior staff of the corporation, Mr. Edet Okon, presently resident in a “boys quarters” inside Ebite-metta, railway compound, Lagos for over 35 years, in his contribution noted that security of railway compound has been compromised with cases vandalisation compared to the past when serving staff occupied railway quarters.
He suggested that the earlier management resolves issues on railway quarters still lingering in court, adding that some ex-staff especially officers are staying glied to their apartments based on ruling of national industrial court.
According to him, while some ex-staff have vacated their apartments for families and friends, others have rented out theirs pending outcome of the appeal court ruling on the matter.
“Whichever direction the pendulum swings to at end day, management should in fairness, offer railway quarters (Not guest houses) for sales to deserved former and serving staff”, he enthused
Okon also advised management not use future expansion as yardstick to throw away “its baby with birth water”.
