Standing ticket and corruption on Abuja-Kaduna expressway

When kidnappers converted Kaduna-Abuja Expressway as their operation ground, quite a number of Nigerians using that road took to an alternative route. The rich travelled by air, while the middle class, lower class and other upper class people (that live in Kaduna and no flight) choose train as their alternative to safe their lives. The […]

When kidnappers converted Kaduna-Abuja Expressway as their operation ground, quite a number of Nigerians using that road took to an alternative route. The rich travelled by air, while the middle class, lower class and other upper class people (that live in Kaduna and no flight) choose train as their alternative to safe their lives.

The train station usually become overcrowded on Fridays, Sundays and Mondays, due to the high number of passengers going for weekend from and to Abuja, hence the ticket is competitive. The railway corporation always categorically states that tickets are not pre-sold for each of the four trips per day until few minutes to boarding. Therefore however early a passenger arrived, he must wait till the sale of the tickets begin.

But this is just the paper theory and media propaganda the institution give out, as in reality, some well connected passengers do obtain their tickets from staff without even following the queue. Directors of ministries together with their families, other VIPs are kept in a separate room while the masses struggle and fight under the sun or in the rain to get an economy class ticket.

The train carries approximately 700 or more passengers per trip, as each couch has the capacity to accommodate 88 passengers SP1, SP2, Sp3, SP4, SP5, SP6, Sp7, SP8, SP9 and VIP couch. Once the sale of tickets begins, in less than 15 minutes, an announcement would be made that they have exhausted the number of seats, that only standing tickets remained.

One could be on a queue for two hours and at last not get the ticket while those that have connections with the railway staff and other black marketers would come late and find their tickets waiting for them through the back door.

Standing tickets are sold at the same price as the sitting tickets, I wonder how on earth the price of standing ticket would be equal to that of sitting ticket N1,300 or N1,500 each as the case may be. The standing passengers do squeeze in along the pathway and corridor of the train, while others stand in between coaches, the rest are forced to seat where heavy luggage are arranged.

In the 2-hour journey, sometimes the train’s air conditioner malfunctions, due to the large number passengers and the coaches become hot. Its like you’ll  suffocate and people look desperately for a way to get fresh air.

It is high time government revisits the Nigerian Railway Corporation and set things right; the standing tickets should be banned, and since the government has no political will to purchase additional coaches, the price of the standing passenger should be slashed by half what is paid for economy ticket.

No special treatment should be given to VIPs and other government workers who use their position to obtain such tickets for their families. Any staff found selling or booking tickets for friends, family and acquaintances should be punished to serve as deterrent to. Government should extend the project to link up Kaduna and Kano as it has more passengers than Abuja-Kaduna.

Engr. Yusuf Daawah, Kano   [email protected]