<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nNigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has been losing at least N208 million each\nyear since 2014 in its eastern rail line, by far the most lucrative route,\ninvestigations have proven. The eastern rail corridor connects Port Harcourt in\nthe Niger Delta \u2013 passing through Aba, Umuahia, Uzuakoli, Enugu, Makurdi before\nterminating at Maiduguri in the north-eastern Borno State near border with Chad\nRepublic. The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has been losing at least N208 million each year since 2014 in its eastern rail line, by far the most lucrative route, investigations have proven. The eastern rail corridor connects Port Harcourt in the Niger Delta \u2013 passing through Aba, Umuahia, Uzuakoli, Enugu, Makurdi before terminating at Maiduguri in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1643,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[4,14],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\n
\nIn the last five years, the corporation has lost not less than N1.04 billion\non the eastern rail line, due to non-operation. The NRC has total route-km of\n3,528km as of 2007. The western line which connects Lagos Nguru, Yobe State\ncovers a distance of 1,126km.
\n
\nFindings showed that an eight-coach train running from Port Harcourt to Aba,\nUmuahia, Uzuakoli to Enugu makes not less than N2 million per trip. Since the\ntrain was making two trips a week from Port Harcourt, it would make N4 million\nweekly; multiplied by 52 weeks a year, the NRC would realize N208 million;\nacross the five years it has not operated, the corporation lost N1,040 billion.<\/strong>
\n
\nOlusoji Osidipe, the eastern wing district manager of NRC office in Enugu,\nconfirmed to our correspondent hat the railway has not operated in the zone for\nthe past five years. He said it was as a result of vandalization of the rail\nlines at certain portions by unknown individuals.
\n
\nHe blamed the vandals for apparently not understanding the economic importance\nof rail transport, and its quick impact in boosting the economic development of\nan area hosting the rail line or station.
\n
\nFurther investigations revealed that apart from Osidipe\u2019s rail-track\nvandalization claim, the long disuse of the rail lines by NRC predisposed them\nfor the vandals to have easily made away with rail parts. But a major issue we\nfound out was that many parts of the rail lines between Aba and Enugu and\nbeyond have gone sorely bad. Some rail bridges have been weakened due to\nnon-servicing by NRC, and need urgent reconstruction, if not outright replacement.\nAlso, some portions of the rail-track have had the soil around it washed away\nby sheet erosion. They need urgent reconstruction before train can pass on them\ncomfortably.<\/strong>
\n
\nThe reason why Nigeria Railway Corporation abandoned the Port Harcourt \u2013 Aba \u2013\nEnugu rail line immediately after the last administration five years ago could\nnot be understood by some workers and officials of the corporation who spoke\nwith our correspondent, but preferred not to be mentioned in the press.
\n
\nContract to rehabilitate the rail line from Port Harcourt to Makurdi was\nawarded during the last administration to Eser West African Company Limited by\nthe administration of former president, Good luck Johnathan. The company was\nsaid to have largely completed the contract by 2014, and train operations began\nfrom Port Harcourt, Aba, Umuahia, Uzuakoli, passing Enugu to Makurdi.<\/strong>
\n
\nOsidipe rather called on the villagers along the rail tracks to assist the NRC\nin monitoring the rail-tracks from being tampered with by the vandals.
\n
\nHe also appealed to the Federal Government to make a law that would prohibit\nbuying and selling of railway materials from iron melting companies without\nclearing from the NRC; insisting that it would be one of the measures to stop\nrail lines vandalization in many parts of the country.
\n
\nThe NRC eastern wing district manager Osidipe also said erosion and landslide\nhave equally gravely affected many areas of the rail tracks in the eastern\ndistrict, and confirming the weakness of some of the rail bridges.
\n
\nMany also adduced that NRC\u2019s decision to suddenly stop usage of the eastern\ndistrict rail line that opened it up for eventual vandalization, since this had\nnot happened in the past. Many yet question why the sudden stoppage without\ngiving any reason.
\n
\nBusiness activities along the sub-stations have equally stopped abruptly. Petty\ntraders and hawkers who operated along the rail route have been forced out of\nbusiness, with special reference to Aba \u2013 Umuahia \u2013 Uzuakoli \u2013 Enugu rail\ncorridor where railway-propelled small-scale business was a big commercial\navenue. All this is gone. Today, the Enugu Railway Station, the biggest rail\nterminus east of the Niger, wears a forlorn look. The entire environment looks\neerie. Old unserviceable rail coaches litter everywhere around the station and\nthe rail tracks.
\n
\nMeanwhile, the east line rail line failure apart, all the federal roads in the\nsouth-east are gone. The Enugu\u2013Port Harcourt expressway, Enugu\u2013Onitsha federal\nhighway, Umuahia\u2013Ikot-Ekpene\u2013Itu\u2013Calabar, Owerri\u2013Onitsha, Okigwe\u2013Owerri,\nOrlu\u2013Ekwulobia\u2013Awka highways are death traps. Transport fares on the roads have\nhit new highs, thereby further raising food prices in the zone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"