In a move to reposition Nigeria’s railway sector, President Bola Tinubu has appointed Dr. Kayode Opeifa as the Managing Director of the Nigeria Railway Corporation. Dr. Kayode Opeifa is seasoned transportation expert and former Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation. He also served as the Transport Secretary for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Dr. Opeifa has built a distinguished career marked by impactful reforms. As Commissioner, he introduced policies that significantly improved public transport and traffic management in Lagos, one of Africa’s busiest cities. His contributions helped ease congestion and laid a strong foundation for the state’s rapid urban development.
With this new role, Dr. Opeifa is expected to lead the modernisation of Nigeria’s railway network, a crucial component of the country’s economic growth. His vast experience in transportation planning and infrastructure development has raised expectations among industry stakeholders, who see him as the right fit to drive meaningful reforms.
His appointment has drawn widespread commendation, with many citing his deep understanding of Nigeria’s transportation challenges and his ability to implement sustainable solutions. Under his leadership, enhancing railway connectivity and efficiency could significantly boost trade, commerce, and overall national development.
Many expect that the appointment of Dr. Opeifa will quicken the realisation of digitisation of NRC ticketing across all NRC stations, thereby eliminating ticket racketeering that has blighted the corporation since the commencement of train services in the Lagos-Ibadan, Abuja-Kaduna and I take-Warri rail corridors.
Also, a public policy analyst, Mr. Opeoluwa with the X handle @OpeBee weighed in on the significance of the appointment stating that Dr. Opeifa’s is instructive and signals the readiness of the federal government to expedite the unbundling of the Nigerian Railway Corporation. He revealed that the NRC is expected to be unbundled into four entities namely:
1. National Railway Agency.
2. National Railway Carrier.
3. Railway Assets Management Company and
4. Nigerian Railway Properties Management Company.
He added that as part of the reforms, it is expected that the private sector will be allowed to lay their track and buy their train coaches.