Nigerian Railway Corporation Confirms Ticket Racketeering by Staff

Juliet Akoje in Abuja

The Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Mr. Fidet Okhiria, yesterday confirmed ticket racketeering by members of staff in the corporation.

Okhiria disclosed this during his appearance before the House of Representatives Committee on Finance at the 2024–2026 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP) interactive session in Abuja.

He said that the members of staff involved in the ticket racketeering have been sacked, while some with fewer offences have been demoted.

The chairman of the committee, Hon. James Abiodun Faleke alleged by saying, “Social media clips show how your staffers are engaging in ticket racketeering.”

Okhiria during his response said: “This is true, and the solution to that is e-ticketing, and the government has approved that.”

He further stressed that the corporation was working with the security agencies to arrest the menace, adding  that many of the staff involved in the dastard act had been sacked, while  some had been demoted depending on the offense they committed.

Meanwhile, the office of the Accountant General for the Federation said the NRC had only remitted N345 million in revenue for 2023 and that the remittances covered January to September.

Faleke, while expressing concern about the revenue generated, said: “Our concern is that if we expect so much revenue from NRC and we aren’t getting it, then there is a problem.”

“I think we should take the decision that the railway should self-fund and take care of their costs and remit to the government the surplus.”