New NRC Boss Promises to Take Operations to a New Level
Sunday Okobi
The newly appointed Managing Director of Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Dr. Kayode Opeifa, has promised to represent and be the face of the vision of the government as summarised in the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President, and ensure that the NRC adequately fulfils its responsibility to the Nigerian people.
He stated this in his speech during his acceptance of the role to manage the affair of the corporation held in Lagos recently.
Opeifa, who thanked God and the president for the appointment, said: “I stand this morning to testify to the goodness of the Almighty God for He is ever faithful and His mercies endureth forever.”
“I Thank the Almighty God for this recognition by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, my mentor, our national leader, the pathfinder and my benefactor.
“I am grateful for the trust and confidence reposed in me to lead this vital institution, which is one of the oldest and most impactful in the history of our great nation.
“I am mindful that my role as the Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation is to represent and be the face of the vision of the government as summarized in the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President, the various policy speeches and document of the president and other authorised government documents from the Ministry of Transportation and other relevant government MDA as it relate to the Rail sector and as permitted by the NRC Act and other related directives.
“My presence here is to add value to an existing vision by ensuring the NRC adequately fulfils its responsibility to the Nigerian people under the Renewed Hope Agenda programmes of the president.”
He promised to work in harmony with all staff of the NRC to deepen operations of the national rail system for the socio-economic development of the country.
According to him, “Let me state clearly that today, as we gather here I am reminded of the critical role the Nigerian Railway Corporation plays in driving economic growth, promoting national integration, and improving the lives of our citizens. We will together work tirelessly to ensure the organization achieves its mandate and exceed expectations.
“Our collective mission would be one of efficiency, safety, and customer satisfaction driven by passion for excellence. We will prioritise the completion of ongoing projects, modernize our infrastructure, and expand our services to meet the growing demands of our population. This mission will be tailored towards a robust transformation of the rail sector in Nigeria into a world-class, efficient, and safe mode of transportation.
“This mission is an integral part of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the president and the 25-year Strategic Rail Modernization Plan, which aims to create an enviable rail transport network that connects every state and major cities in Nigeria.”
The new MD of NRC added that among others, “we will priortise the security of lives and property, working through the Ministry of Transportation with the entire national security apparatus to ensure our resources, operations, infrastructure and customers are very safe and secured.
“Also, modernize and expand the system by working with the Ministry of Transportation, our supervising authority, the various sub-national governments, relevant MDAs, stakeholders, and the organized private sector. We will focus on the upgrading of existing rail infrastructure, expanding the present rail networks, and introducing new technologies to improve efficiency and safety thereby engendering an improved travelling experience for our numerous customers.
“We will increase in connectivity. Arising from the above, we will also improve/expand connectivity to major cities, ports, and economic hubs through rail links, promoting economic growth and development.
“On service excellence, we will prioritize customer satisfaction by improving customer experience, ensuring that our services are reliable, efficient, safe and sustainable.
“We will also build capacity. As expected of us as the leading rail services provider in the country, we will develop the skills and expertise of our staff, ensuring that they have the knowledge and tools needed to excel in their roles through the engagement of modern tools, technology and intelligence. We will also build capacity for the emerging sub-national rail project development, among many other priorities.”
Opeifa added that staff welfare would be taken very seriously, adding that: We will prioritise the welfare of our staff and their relatives to enhance their ultimate efficiency and delivery as well as ensuring better living and working conditions.
“As one of you, I promise on behalf of management to work with the various trade unions and associations within the best of harmonious and cordial relationship.
“On inter and multi modal mobility, we will work with the ministry and other relevant ministries to ensure the smooth inter and multimodality of the mobility systems in Nigeria as the Rail sector is set to take the center stage in the mobility sector of our national economic growth.
“While on the rail economy, we will deepen the role of the NRC as the major rail service provider to encourage tourism, link people to jobs, link farm produce to economic and activity centers, improve on national logistics and supply chain management amongst others to have a positive effect on goods and services reducing multi-dimensional poverty, as well as create job and skill acquisition.”
The MD also thanked his predecessor, Mr. Fidet Okhiria, “with whom I worked when I was the FCT Mandate Secretary for Transportation and also as a member of the immediate NRC Governing Board (his support was instrumental to the commencement of the Abuja Rail Mass Transit) for his dedication and service to the corporation and to our nation, Nigeria.”
