FG Losing N499m Monthly, As Abuja-Kaduna Rail Line Revenue Falls From N500m To N1m

The Managing Director of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), Fidet Okhiria, said the revenue generated by the Abuja-Kaduna rail line has dropped by N499 million after the attack by terrorists.

Okhiria disclosed on Wednesday that the monthly revenue dropped to N1 million from N500 million generated before the bandits’ gruesome attack occurred on 28 March 2022.

The deadly attack, which occurred between Katari and Rijana, killed eight passengers and the terrorists kidnapped some passengers only to release them after the attackers were allegedly paid to free the victims.

Okhiria said after the attack, the turnover of the Abuja-Kaduna rail line dwindled by 99.8 per cent, pushing the operators of the railway service into financial difficulties.

The insecurity has forced the Abuja-Kaduna rail line to limit its operations between 6 am to 6 pm, against their previous schedule of 6 am to 10 pm. For the rail line to break even, Okhiria said it must resume the full schedule.

“Before the attack, we were earning N500 million a month and after the attack, we were earning barely one million and we must operate and provide service to the people, which is why we are glad about the minister’s surprise visit to highlight some of these operational issues.

“Currently, we do two return trips against the 10 we were doing before that incident and we were running from 6 am to 10 pm but now we have been advised not to exceed to 6 pm. So, we are hopeful that when the security situation normalises and they are able to advise us,  we can start the full operation so that we can break even.

“We have paid two months out of the 5 months outstanding and we hope to conclude it soon. They know that before now, we don’t delay and we pay before the end of every month when everything is going on well,” Okhiria said.