Hope on the Tracks: NRC’s Freight Drive Gains Momentum Under Opeifa

Ronke Kehinde/

The appointment of Dr. Kayode Opeifa as Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) in January 2025 came with high expectations, as Nigeria’s railway sector, long plagued by decay, vandalism, inefficiencies and policy inertia, continues its slow but crucial transformation.

One year after his assumption of office, stakeholders are now asking a critical question: how far has the nation’s railway system moved under Opeifa’s leadership?

Unlike many public-sector appointments where direction emerges gradually, Opeifa set the tone early by unveiling a clear five-point reform framework focused on strengthening the legal enabling architecture, rehabilitating and optimising railway assets, promoting “Railing with the States” and a Track Access Policy, driving a freight revolution, and implementing a growth roadmap tagged “Vision 2:5:10:20” to guide short-, medium- and long-term targets.

Perhaps the most consequential shift in the past year has been the renewed emphasis on freight rail, a segment neglected for decades despite its enormous economic importance.
In February 2025, the NRC, in partnership with APM Terminals (APMT) and other stakeholders including the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), flagged off cargo evacuation from the ports, an initiative widely seen as a symbolic and operational return of rail into Nigeria’s logistics value chain.

Since then, container movements from Lagos through inland corridors such as Kaduna, Ilorin, Minna and Kano have begun repositioning rail as a cost-effective alternative to road haulage. Though the volume of cargo moved remains modest compared to national demand, analysts say the institutional groundwork for scaling freight operations is now more firmly in place.

A major policy breakthrough under Opeifa has also been the deliberate engagement with state governments through the “Railing with the States” initiative.
Through the programme, the NRC has signed or initiated Memoranda of Understanding with several subnational governments and regional bodies, including Plateau, Ekiti, Ogun, Niger and South-East regional stakeholders.

Observers say the move represents a shift from the old unitary rail mindset and aligns with Nigeria’s evolving constitutional and economic realities. The result is growing subnational interest in dormant rail corridors, urban rail integration and improved last-mile connectivity.

However, the past year has also highlighted the scale of systemic sabotage confronting Nigeria’s railways.

Incidents of vandalism, reported in areas such as Kafanchan, Zakirai, Bauchi, Delta and the Eastern corridor, have repeatedly tested operational resilience and threatened service continuity.

Rather than downplaying the challenges, the NRC adopted a zero-tolerance stance, collaborating with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Man O’ War and local security formations. The approach led to arrests, recovery of stolen assets and public exposure of sabotage networks, sending what officials describe as a deterrence message.

Despite these efforts, vandalism remains a persistent threat, reinforcing calls for deeper community ownership and technology-driven surveillance to secure rail infrastructure.

Under Opeifa, the NRC has also been praised for prioritising safety and reliability over aggressive expansion.

The temporary suspension of services such as the Warri–Itakpe Train Service (WITS) following technical glitches was cited by experts as evidence of a safety-first culture, even as it exposed limitations in rolling stock and maintenance capacity.

Festive surge management, including the deployment of extra rakes during Sallah, also improved passenger experience, though capacity constraints remain a challenge across key routes.

Despite the gains recorded, experts insist that funding remains the greatest obstacle to railway modernisation in Nigeria.

With multiple projects still ongoing, analysts say adequate investment is needed to open up more routes, expand rolling stock, upgrade infrastructure and strengthen security around rail assets.

Checks indicate that about N34 billion was allocated to the NRC in the 2026 budget, an amount stakeholders say may be insufficient for a sector that requires heavy capital expenditure.

Muhammad Iskeel Abdullahi, a public affairs analyst, said inconsistent government funding continued to undermine long-term progress.

“The overarching challenge remains government funding, essential for any meaningful rail revival,” Abdullahi said.

He noted that capital-intensive needs such as fleet expansion, spare parts procurement, infrastructure upgrades and advanced staff training cannot rely on internal revenue or short-term fixes.

According to him, inconsistent allocations have encouraged practices such as parts cannibalisation, where components are stripped from damaged units to keep others running, an approach he warned may provide temporary relief but ultimately weakens the asset pool and worsens vulnerabilities.

Professor of Transportation Management, Ibe Callistus, also called for more investment in rail infrastructure to connect more states and offer Nigerians more options for intra- and interstate travel.

“Our government needs to invest more now in rail because rail is the ultimate transportation mode that can help to improve development, that can open up areas, that can reduce the cost of transportation of goods and services, and that can facilitate penetration of the hinterlands,” he said.

As the NRC marks one year under Opeifa, experts say the real test lies ahead, scaling freight volumes, deepening state partnerships, securing rail assets, and attracting private capital at scale.

While the reforms introduced so far have raised optimism that Nigeria’s railways may finally be turning a corner, stakeholders insist that sustained funding and stronger protection of infrastructure will determine whether the current momentum translates into a lasting national rail revival.