FIDET OKHIRIA: Govt Has PPP Policy to Allow Private Sector Participate in Rail Devt

The executive

His reappointment by President Muhammadu Buhari for a second term as the Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC)was not a surprise to many who know about rail project development. From backend to front end, hardware to software, Mr. Fidet Okhiria has mastered the command of every sensitive and strategic sector of rail development; powered by over 34 years of experience. He is one of the many unsung right picks of Buhari in the development of infrastructure Nigeria. He speaks with Kunle Aderinokun and Chris Paul on how the country’s rail system evolved, highlighting the challenges and prospects, particularly addressing pertinent questions on the Lagos-Ibadan Railway, Abuja-Kaduna Railway and Itakpe-Warri Railway

How did your journey in Nigeria’s rail sector begin?

I joined the Railway Corporation in 1987 as an engineer. We had our training for two years and within the two years, we were taken round the system from Lagos to Enugu, to Kaduna, Zaria, Minna, Kafanchan and then to Ibadan, where I had my first responsibility as a senior electrical engineer.

I was in Ibadan for a very long time and I was in charge of electrical and mechanical aspect of the station. In short, I became the district engineer supervising the station: the coaches, the locomotives, power supply, house infrastructure, etc. In Ibadan, we were controlling operations from Lagos to Minna.

Although, the headquarters office was here and it was in charge of workshops.

Later, I was transferred to Enugu as a district engineer.

After two years, I was brought back to Ibadan. At Ibadan, my supervision was not only limited to the West, but the nation as a whole; in charge of coaches and wagons. It was my responsibility to ensure that coaches and wagons that were due for maintenance are recalled and serviced, as scheduled.

In 1999, I was then, appointed as a district manager for the North, with the headquarters in Zaria. I did not stay long there.

When democracy returned, there was a re-arrangement and I was asked to return to the headquarters in Lagos; first, as a chief engineer in charge of carriage and wagons. Later, I became the project manager in charge of the Romania Project.

During the military regime of President Buhari with Tam David West as Petroleum Minister, Romania was owing Nigeria from crude oil purchase. So, they asked Romania to pay back and in the end it was translated into a barter trade. As pay back, the Romanians supplied lots of equipment and wagons.

As project manager, my duty was to ensure those equipment were installed. Unfortunately, when they brought the equipment, there was no budget for installation.

From that assignment, I was appointed, again, as the district manager for Lagos. From district manager, I was appointed as director and from director, I became the MD in 2016. I was appointed in February, but confirmed in October.

It has not been easy, but patience and persistence in doing my duty diligently regardless of the challenges has brought me to where I am now. At a point, we were not getting salaries for as long as nine months. Sometimes, we will go on strike and nobody will discuss with us. We will return to work on our own; because you are bored staying at home.

During the Sani Abacha regime, he tried to bring back the railway. He contacted the Chinese; they were to develop the infrastructure; I believe we all know what happened. He died.

Luckily, democracy came in. The corporation continued to struggle. At a point, the management went as far as Flour Mill to borrow money to pay salaries.

At the last minute, the civilian regime came up with the intention to modernise the railway. They had a 25-year rolling plan, divided into four stages. The first phase of the plan was to retain what was on ground at the time, while the second was to build an entirely new, but modernised railway, stabilise it.

The last phase was to throw it open to the private sector, through the public private partnership, either through concessioning or invite the private sector to come in.

This happened in 2001.

I told you the policy plan was for a 25-year period. Now, we have done 20 years out of it. In 2006, a contract was awarded to the Chinese for a standard gauge, double line from Lagos to Kano for which the groundbreaking took place in Kajola. Eventually, that regime left.

The late Yar’Adua regime came, went into further discussion with the contractor and they said they couldn’t do it. They later agreed to do it in stages and they were to do Abuja-Kaduna.

This regime came and decided to do Lagos-Ibadan, dusted up Itakpe-Warri; completed it and it’s running now. We are not carrying only passengers there, we are also carrying freight. We are carrying pipes and hopefully, in August, we will start moving Iron ore; because the company has already approached us saying they will start mining in August and they want to go by rail. We have just commissioned Lagos-Ibadan.

So, as it has turned out now, the rail project has turned from being a weeping baby to now, the golden child.

For a project that was hatched in 2006 only to become a reality on your watch. How does this make you feel?

I can say I am a blessed child. That it is happening in my own time. More importantly, we have a president, who is desperate to ensure Nigerians have access to good infrastructure. We have a minister, who is passionately committed to accomplishing President Buhari’s vision of providing rail system not just for the comfort and convenience of rail transport for Nigerians, but to energise and wire the economy for ease of movement of heavy duty goods across the country.

This is in no way meant to discountenance the efforts of past governments. They had their plans and did the best they could. The difference, here is the level of commitment and the selflessness required to achieve the goal in good time. That is what the President Buhari has demonstrated in the actualisation of the project, within six years.

When you came here on Monday, I was here and you left at 7pm or thereabouts. I could have closed by 4pm and decide to go to the club to do other things. I have to stay extra hours to ensure all is going well. If you go to Abuja, you will see the minister still working at late hours in his office.

When we are discussing the work, even if I have any interest, since my leaders are not making request, I will be scared to make such request.

On a broader note, when you are not making any demands from your contractor, they will have no choice, but to deliver a good job. But once you compromise yourself and the system, it becomes difficult to accomplish these things.

We recall that the Lagos-Ibadan was supposed to have been commissioned last year before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world. We also recall the frustration you experienced during those times. Thankfully, it has finally become a reality, one year later. Can you please share your experience during those times?

You will observed that when we went on inspection back then, we don’t come back before 1am. Another minister would have said, it’s 4pm and I don’t want to return to Lagos in the night. Get me a hotel and things like that, but he insisted, each time that we continue, because he wanted to feel what Nigerians will feel or experience under such situations. So, he didn’t mind going through the bushes and waters. That is part of the selflessness I am talking about. So, we come back and resume the next day.

When, as the client, you display such commitment to the job, the contractor cannot do any less.

Sometimes some of my Chinese friends murmur that they have never seen this type of close and purposeful supervision before in Nigeria. And you can’t blame them because they are probably used to people giving them jobs and going to sleep without thorough checks and monitoring to ensure they are doing the work on time and as scheduled. Well, our able and honourable Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, has shown them that this is new dawn. He has the drive and determination to get the job done and delivered as promised. He will tell them ‘ I am a politician and I am accountable to the Nigerian people. What do I tell them? I can’t give them excuses. All they need is to see is a functioning and modernised rail system and that is what I have sworn to deliver to them.’

So, he directed that operations should commence from Iju to Abeokuta, while they are sorting out other issues concerning the project. When they saw we have started Iju-Abeokuta, they knew it was no longer a joking matter. In no time, they delivered Lagos-Ibadan.

We had challenges with Lagos because of its metropolitan nature. We had pipes, structures on the right of way and so forth. We ensured we overcome them and pay the appropriate compensation. Even those, who trespassed on the rail land, the minister ensured they got something. The policy is that rail and road should never cross. We had to deliver the tracks while we worked on the overheads. There 21 rail bridges and 27 overheads. We had 47 underpasses and drainages.

You know Lagos is below sea level and so they had to get the design right. To get it right, the Costain bridge had to be lifted, because the new standard gauge had to have enough head room to accommodate the electric device since the plan is to eventually upgrade to electric trains, when we eventually have sufficient power supply.

We wanted to avoid a situation, whereby when we are ready to roll out the electric trains, issues of appropriate headroom provision would become an impediment to the movement of the trains.

So, Costain bridge was too low and it was demolished and rebuilt. Plans are under way now to commence work on Fadeyi/Jibowu. You know there is bridge from Jibowu to Yaba. The arrangement now is to have a flyover come from Mosalashi on Agege motor road to connect to the Yaba road. So, there are 27 of those bridges. Some have been built. Some are land acquisition where you have pillars etc. and work is ongoing. Those are the things that will come on later.

Why am I saying this? We are commissioned to run trains because the track is in place. All the auxiliary works, the overpasses etc., the contractor will provide them.

These underpasses and overheads were not originally part of the plan?

Yes. They were not. The minister was able to pursue it. Took it to Federal Executive Council (FEC) and everybody supported it. He got it approved. You may call it an additional work to done; just like the Apapa Wharf was not part of it.

The minister insisted and the president supported it. The point was that you cannot install a rail system without linking it to the Seaports; while connecting it to the Dry Port.

The designers are putting heads together with our men to know the appropriate routes for the project to take that will make engineering sense in terms of cost and ensuring it doesn’t affect the commercial activities of the area. All those are being looked into now. We hope by November we should be able to go into the ports fully. We don’t want to start on the standard gauge, then stop, because there are some areas we need to work on within and outside of Apapa Port.

We are not likely to start freight movement on the standard gauge until November. However, we are moving the narrow gauge. So, when we commission, the contractor will still need to stay with us for the next five years, because there is service-labour agreement for our men to be trained.

Now that you are up and running especially with the Kaduna-Abuja and now Lagos-Ibadan phases of the project. Why are you having issues with Ticketing?

When you are providing infrastructure, ticketing is an operational issue. The e-ticketing is another cost element. It’s not just using the online payment method that captures all that concerns e-ticketing, there are essentially security issues.

We want to be sure the right processes are followed, the right companies are brought in into the process. You don’t want hackers playing around with such magnitude of project. So, we are being careful. You want to ensure monies don’t go into wrong accounts.

We want to ensure that only the ticket gives me access to the platform. We have to ensure you fence the station round so you don’t have people jumping into the station to board illegally.

There are other infrastructural developments that have informed government’s cautious movement to the e-ticketing platform.

For instance, we now have Itakpe-Warri which was designed for only freight, but the government said No, It will not be used for freight alone, it will be used for both freight and passengers; and build stations. So, we have to complete the building of the infrastructure before going full force onto the platform.

Besides, government is adopting a policy of allowing Nigerians to participate in the business of rail development. So, we are engaging the public private partnership (PPP) arrangement.