The long, winding return of Faka-Fiki trains
A few decades ago, the Nigerian Railway Corporation was considered as a major revenue source for the Nigerian government, generating funds to establish many other organisations. In fact, “it is the NNPC of those days,” an elderly Nigerian told Weekly Trust. According to the Assistant Director, Public Relations Department of the corporation, David Ndanusa Ndakotsu, […]
A few decades ago, the Nigerian Railway Corporation was considered as a major revenue source for the Nigerian government, generating funds to establish many other organisations. In fact, “it is the NNPC of those days,” an elderly Nigerian told Weekly Trust. According to the Assistant Director, Public Relations Department of the corporation, David Ndanusa Ndakotsu, it is on record that Nigerian Railway contributed immensely to the development of commerce, towns and cities as well as integrating the diverse people of the country. He said the NRC posted the highest profits among government-owned agencies in 1964, adding that its fortune declined thereafter as a result of neglect by successive governments, epileptic transport policies, poor funding and mass retrenchment.
Ndakotsu also said the essence of the on-going rehabilitation is to revamp and restore all facilities and fixed infrastructural assets of the corporation with a view to running freight and passenger train services effectively, efficiently and in conformity to global trends. “When the Federal Government (FG) decided to invest in the railways, it took off with a holistic programme in the sense that the FG didn’t just want to bring in the locomotives and refurbish the coaches and work on the tracks without the human aspect of it. All these things were part of the rehabilitation programme packaged by the federal government which is presently going on. The engineers and drivers were sent to Brazil and South Africa for training even before the locomotives arrived,” he said.
The corporation, as Weekly Trust learnt, has commenced rail services in almost all the six geo-political zones of the country, adding that it has finally come to stay. According to him, the corporation is very much alive and we have resumed Mass Transit Train (MTT) in five geo-political zones. He said the only zone remaining is the Eastern Rail Line that suffered delay “due to road projects under construction in Enugu and Port-Harcourt, which intercept our rail network.”
Ndakotsu also said the MTT services have since resumed in Lagos, Kaduna, Kano, Maiduguri, Jos and recently Ilorin, following the rehabilitation of some of the rail tracks. He added that by September this year, the NRC will commission the Enugu and Port-Harcourt MTT service. He also stated that the Lagos to Kano rail track is almost completed. “I believe that by September this year, that line will also be opened to traffic. But they have to delay it now because we are in the heavy rainy season and there is a little hindrance around Niger State,” he said.
After arriving Lagos, this reporter’s journey to the ancient city of Ibadan in Oyo State, started at exactly 3p.m. on Friday, June 10, 2011 from Iddo, Lagos Terminus of the NRC. Before then, passengers (which include both men and women, young and old) were gathering at the station lobby from around 12 noon of that day for weekend trip to their various destinations. While some wanted to follow the first train to return to their homes in the outskirts of Lagos such as Agbado and Ijoko, others were eager to return to their residences for weekend in either Abeokuta in Ogun State or Ibadan, capital of Oyo State, which is the train’s final destination for now. But they relaxed at the lobby, while some of them bought foods and drinks from hawkers around to fill their stomachs, pending the departure time.
The first train presents this reporter an opportunity to chat with both Lagos and long-distant passengers aboard. With N660, you get a first class ticket to enter the train to Ibadan, while that of second class coaches costs N350. Tickets for first class passengers who are disembarking at Ijoko, the last stop of Lagos intra-city shuffle, costs N500 while those in the second class coaches pay N120.
So, few minutes to 3p.m, the late passengers were rushing to pay for their ticket in order to join those on board before the final departure. At exactly 3.pm, the train blared its horn to announce its departure and the journey began. It was time to interview the passengers aboard and this reporter started that immediately. The train stopped at six stations between Iddo, Lagos and its final terminus in Dugbe, Ibadan, spending an average time of three minutes at each station. Those stations include Agege and Agbado in Lagos State, Ijoko, Itori, and Abeokuta in Ogun State as well as Olokemeji in Oyo State.
Despite the few numbers of long-distant passengers on board, the journey was smooth, coupled with the presence of armed policemen and two paramilitary men aboard and the passengers were relaxed. But some of them who spoke to Weekly Trust said much is still expected from the government. With about N1.5 trillion already expended on the railway project between 2009 and 2010, which facilitated the gradual return of railway services to the country, Nigerians say there is need to address some of its pressing challenges in order to achieve its set objectives and play a vital role in revamping the nation’s economy as well as its socio-political integration.
One Mr. Adeniji, a secondary school teacher in Lagos, said there is need for them to improve their services, especially the number of hours the train ply from Lagos to Ibadan. “The first time, we spent six hours to Ibadan. A fortnight Friday ago, we spent five and half hours because the train had problems on the road and we stopped twice along the road to repair it.” Having been attacked by armed robbers on the Lagos to Ibadan Expressway twice, Adeniji added that: “I considered the train safer compared to road transport because of the security men aboard the train. Also, there are lots of traffic jams on the expressway probably because of the bad road and sometimes there will be accidents. Here, I sit down comfortably so that I will be able to read my novel.”
For Mrs. Adeola Taiwo, who says she has been boarding train for the past five years from Ijoko (Ogba Ayo) to Iddo and vice versa, “before they usually go for about three trips to and fro. But now, they only go on two trips; one in the morning and another by evening time. But they need to increase the train transit frequency on the route.” She said she is satisfied with their current passengers’ service, adding that the train no longer develop faults on the way unlike in the past.
Another passenger, Michael Adeyemo, said he started boarding the train from Agege, Lagos to Ibadan about two months ago. According to him, “I feel comfortable in the first class coach than the other coaches. I can easily stretch my legs and arms well and even move from one coach to another.” He told Weekly Trust that the first time he boarded the train from Ibadan to Lagos around late April, it spent three and half hours on the trip. “Then, it was free. It’s like they run it for like six to seven weeks for passengers (along that route) free. The issue there is that government has started well for the railways (NRC), especially with the new 25 locomotives they have now. According to what they told us, the train should travel further than Ibadan.”
For a first-time train passenger, Mrs. Esther Adejumo, it was a pleasure ride. “This is my first time of boarding the train from Lagos to Ibadan. I joined the train from Ijoko and I paid N430 but it is free for my two children and their service is okay,” she said. When asked why she decided to board the train, she said, “People are saying it and I just wanted to witness it too. Compared to what I have heard about railways service in recent past, their service is better now. Then, there was no Air-condition or Television in the train unlike now where we are enjoying ourselves as if we are at home,” she said, smiling.
Ndakotsu said the corporation is very optimistic of its sustenance adding that, “We are looking forward to a situation whereby if you are coming from Abuja to Lagos, you should be able to take a train for two hours. That’s how it is in other parts of the world.” No doubt, Nigerians are eager to enjoy such an experience all over the nation.