Dr. Kayode Opeifa, Managing Director of the Nigeria Railway Corporation, has issued a powerful admonition against the theft and vandalism of railway infrastructure, emphasizing that these components are critical national assets rather than scrap materials. In a recent interview on Channels Television’s “Hard Copy,” Dr. Opeifa highlighted the railway’s fundamental role in fostering national unity and economic development.
He explained that the railway system does more than transport goods and people; it connects Nigeria’s diverse ethnic and cultural groups. “We don’t have scraps in the Nigerian railway; we have national assets,” he stated firmly, drawing a clear distinction between waste and the vital infrastructure.
Reflecting on his international exposure, Dr. Opeifa recounted attending a conference in South Africa where cable theft was also an issue. However, he pointed out a stark difference in Nigeria, where steel components are stolen and mistakenly regarded as scrap. “What do they steal here? They steal the steel and they call it scrap,” he said.
The NRC boss described how the railway links people of various languages and cultures, from Yoruba speakers in Lagos and Osogbo to Hausa speakers in the north and Igbo speakers in the east. “Those are the assets that link our people by culture, by religion, by tribe to each other,” he said.
He condemned vandalism as an attack on Nigeria’s very identity. “Anybody vandalising them is like going to the heart of our people, the integration that binds us together,” Dr. Opeifa lamented.
Calling on communities along railway routes to protect these assets, he noted the transformative impact of rail lines on local development. “Every part the railway passes through becomes a major city so it is in the interest of the locals too to make sure the railway survives,” he said.
Though he did not disclose details of security operations, Dr. Opeifa appealed for ongoing community cooperation to combat vandalism and safeguard the nation’s railway infrastructure.