ABUJA/Nigeria: The newly appointed Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Dr. Kayode Opeifa, has successfully averted a looming workers’ strike that threatened to cripple train services across the country’s five railway networks.
The NRC, Nigeria’s oldest transport corporation, operates two narrow-gauge lines—the Western and Eastern Lines—alongside three standard-gauge services: the Abuja-Kaduna (AKTS), Itakpe-Warri (IWTS), and Lagos-Ibadan Train Service (LITS).
Railway union leaders had signaled their intent to embark on an industrial action over poor welfare conditions, but following a crucial meeting with Opeifa on Thursday, they announced a total cancellation of the proposed strike.
President General of the Nigerian Union of Railway Workers (NUR), Comrade Innocent Luka Ajiji, who also leads the Africa Railway Workers Union (AfRWU), told journalists after the meeting that the unions had resolved to give Opeifa a chance, citing his background as a human rights activist.
“We are happy with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s choice of Dr. Kayode Opeifa as NRC MD. Given his antecedents with the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), we believe in his ability to address our concerns. In deference to his appointment, we are not only suspending the strike but outrightly canceling all plans for industrial action,” Ajiji said.
Accompanied by the President of the Senior Staff Association of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (SSANRC), Comrade Marcel Okeke, Ajiji expressed confidence that Opeifa would prioritize workers’ welfare and foster improved negotiations with the unions.
In response, Opeifa stated that he had personally insisted on inviting the union leaders for discussions, unaware of the impending strike threat. He reassured workers that his administration would prioritize their welfare while working to enhance railway services nationwide.
Comrade Okeke, speaking on behalf of senior staff, pledged full support for the new MD’s vision, emphasizing that railway workers would work with him to achieve the Tinubu administration’s goal of expanding rail connectivity across all states under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Opeifa further pledged to engage with the unions to resolve outstanding welfare concerns, adding that under his leadership, the NRC would focus on strengthening rail transport for tourism, job connectivity, agricultural logistics, and supply chain efficiency to alleviate multidimensional poverty in Nigeria.
