South-East/ South-South Railways: Igbo Groups demand sack of railway MD

A coalition of Igbo groups, Igbo National Congress(INC) and Ohanaeze Youth Congress(OYC) have demanded the sack of the Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation(NRC), Mr Adeseyi Sijuade for what they described as deliberate and gross neglect of the Eastern District(South-east and South-south) of the NRC.

The coalition also called for the immediate termination of a contract between NRC and a Turkish company, ESER, which was hired to fix the district's rail lines.

Rising from its meeting at Panafric Hotels Enugu, INC and OYC expressed dismay that the railway management has deliberately and grossly neglected the Eastern district of the NRC, using ESER, which has failed to repair the rail lines after three years in a contract they were meant to deliver after nine months contract.

The coalition also accused the railway management of refusing to employ staff in the Eastern district, even after the Western and Northern Districts have employed 500 staff each, and demanded immediate recruitment of new staff to repair the rail lines.

Their press releases signed by Comrade Chilos Godsent, INC National President , and Comrade Zulu Ofoelue, it's National Secretary; then Comrade Chukwudi Anachuna, president of OYC read in parts: "INC has watched with dismay the politicization in the execution of the Eastern District (South East and South South) railway track project which runs from Port Harcourt to Igbede by a Turkish contractor ESER, who has shown gross incapacity and incompetence in the handling of the rehabilitation project, and the overt poor supervision over them by the management of the NRC".

"We are equally taken aback by the deceit in the commissioning and opening of the Eastern District rail-lines when all is not yet in place".

"INC demands the termination of this contract with ESER and that the rehabilitation of the track project be put in the hands of railway workers who have proven to be way better managers over the years".

"We therefore demand the sack of the Managing Director of the NRC for deliberately showing poor commitment towards this project. It is obvious that the management of the NRC are involved in some underhand activities which makes them equally complicit in the shabby execution of this project by ESER".

"Its also noteworthy that the nine new train engines earlier bought to be used in the Eastern District was eventually taken away to Bauchi and Lagos by the orders of the railway top management inspite of the concerted efforts of the Eastern wing of the Nigerian Union of Railway Men (NUR),who protested this obvious marginalization".

"Coupled with the above findings, the INC also noticed the glaring imbalance in the staffing and recruitment of skilled and officers cadres. We have information that while the Ibadan Zaria, Minna, and Lagos have employed well over 500 workers of various cadres, the Eastern district hasn’t recorded meaningful recruitment exercise and we see this as a calculated ploy to relegate and marginalize the people from this region from benefitting from this federal project.

And in the event of a future employment exercise, then would be engaged as second fiddles in the grand employment outline".