The Nigerian Railway Corporation took swift action on Wednesday, October 4, by suspending the officers involved in a viral video that showed them negotiating with passengers on the Lagos-Ibadan Train Service (LITS) to board without official boarding tickets.
The suspension aims to deter such improper behaviour by staff in the future.
To prevent the recurrence of such conduct, the corporation announced the imminent implementation of an electronic ticketing system for the Lagos-Ibadan Train Service (LITS) and Warri-Itakpe Train Service (WITS) by the end of October this year.
Yakub Mahmood, the Deputy Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), conveyed in a statement that this incident was deeply regrettable.
He emphasized that the suspension was a consequence of their blatant violation of established rules and a breach of trust, especially during a time when the Federal Government is diligently working on revitalizing and modernizing the rail infrastructure and rolling stock.
The viral video, as described by Mahmood, was both regrettable and unacceptable, contradicting the fundamental principles and norms of the corporation.
He clarified that the suspension would remain in effect pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation conducted by the management committee assigned to probe the alleged misconduct.
The corporation assured its valued passengers and the public at large that such unprofessional conduct and tarnishing of the corporation’s image by any staff member would not be tolerated and would be dealt with seriously.
Maymood said in line with the disciplinary proceeding is in line with the extant rules citing relevant sections of the NRC General Rules and Public Service Rules (PSR), and will definitely be visited on all those found wanting or connected to this irresponsible act.
The corporation enjoined all intending passengers of LITS and other train corridors to insist and demand for boarding tickets after making appropriate payment at the designated stations or book online appropriately when e-ticketing eventually takes off.
Recall that a video that trended on social media platforms between Monday and Tuesday showed some of the corporation’s ticketing officers were seen collecting ticket fares from respected passengers thereby denying the corporation its revenue.
The federal government is yet to pay back the $1.7 billion loan extended to the country by the China Exim Bank, ChinaExim, for the construction of a standard gauge for the Lagos-Kano corridor.
