There are very strong indications that lack of capital adequate allocation under the 2016 capital works is seriously affecting Nigerian Railway Corpration operations and the desire to deliver sustainable passenger and cargo haulage services.
This disclosure was made by Olugbenga Ashafa, Chairman, Joint Senate and House of Representative Committee on Land Transport, during the last recent oversight visit to the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) headquarters in Lagos.
It would be recalled that, out of the N330,024,354 earmarked for 2016 capital works, the Corporation is still faced with zero releases, resulting to insufficient locomotive and rolling stock, obsolete machineries and workshop equipments.
Olugbenga Ashafa assured that his Committee is conscious of its enormous responsibilities as provided for in the extant Senate/House Standing Orders, which covers the Ministry, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
According to him, ‘’ The Committee has observed from the last budget cycle that the main ministry took up most of the projects that ordinarily should have been domiciled in the Nigerian Railway Corporation.’’
He regretted that from the submissions of Fidet Okhiria, managing director of NRC, there has been no capital release within the circle, saying that the development is not good enough. He noted that the joint committee is disposed to considering all options in ensuring that Corporation is well funded.
The Committee is aware of the numerous challenges of the Nigerian Railway Corporation and is determined, with the support of the National Assembly leadership, to take necessary legislative actions to address the aspect of the challenges that calls for intervention.
Among the reasons for the oversight was to enable the team review how the finance of the corporation has been managed so far in the current budget cycle in order to note what augmentations that needed to be made in the 2017 budget cycle.
While assuring that the Joint Committee would carry out its oversight responsibilities with patriotic zeal aimed at correcting any deficiency and achieving other constitutional objectives of legislative oversights as enshrined in the Constitution as partners in progress and development of the country, it would strive at all times to eschew and avoid unnecessary bickering, strife and confrontations that are inimical to national interest.
In conclusion, the Committee said that the driving force remains its commitment to work assiduously towards creating the desired change that the Federal Government under President Muhamadu Buhari is trying to achieve in the transport sector.
