The Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Kayode Opeifa, has taken full responsibility for Tuesday’s derailment of the Abuja-Kaduna train.
Speaking on The Morning Brief, a Channels Television programme, on Wednesday, Opeifa said as Chief Executive, he must be accountable for any safety-related incident within the corporation.
“Beyond apologising to Nigerians, I want to say as the Managing Director and Chief Executive, I take full responsibility. When it comes to safety, there can be no indifference. Once it happens, the Chief Executive must take responsibility, and in this case, I am taking responsibility,” he said.
The NRC boss stressed that while the derailment should not have happened, measures are being put in place to ensure it does not recur. He assured the public that the incident will not be swept under the carpet, as investigations are already ongoing.
Opeifa cited the recent shutdown of the Warri-Itakpe rail line as an example of the corporation’s commitment to safety. “Three weeks ago, I ordered the shutdown of the Warri-Itakpe route for safety reasons. The level of work being done there, cutting off and replacing tracks shows our determination to prevent such incidents from happening again,” he explained.
The derailment occurred on Tuesday around 11 a.m. along the Kaduna corridor, shortly after the train departed Abuja for Kaduna. No fatalities were reported, but the incident has reignited public concerns over the safety of Nigeria’s railway operations.
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