Nigerian Railway MD Opeifa says he takes responsibility for Abuja-Kaduna train derailment


Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, Kayode Opeifa, has taken full responsibility for the derailment of the Abuja-Kaduna train along the Kaduna corridor on Tuesday.
Opeifa said this on Wednesday when he was answering questions in an interview on Channels Television.
“Let me say, beyond apologising to Nigeria, I want to say as the Managing Director and Chief Executive, I take full responsibility. And in the case of safety, there is no indifference.
“Once it happens, the Chief Executive must take responsibility. In this case, I am taking responsibility,” Opeifa said.
He said that though the derailment should not have occurred in the first instance but that going forward the NRC would ensure that such incidents do not occur on the tracks of Nigerian railway.
“I want to assure Nigerians that an incident like this is not expected, is not prayed for, should not be happening, but where it does, it is to bring out the best in us.
“And I assure Nigerians that just as we are doing currently on the Warri-Itakpe, which he (the analyst) also mentioned, we shut down the Warri-Itakpe (route) three weeks ago.
“I ordered the shutdown for safety reasons, and if you see the level of work the men have been doing on the track, cutting it off and replacing it is to make sure things like this don’t happen,” he added.