By Adeyinka Aderibigbe
In January 2025, Dr. Kayode Opeifa assumed duty as the Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation bringing with him a wealth of experience in transportation management spanning over two decades.
His appointment by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu marked a significant move towards revitalization of the nation’s railway that was at best a victim of lackluster leaders bulking under the weight of the nation’s legacy public enterprise.
Under him, the railway that was rather operating at below par in the estimation of stakeholders is now showing rays of hope of returning to occupy its space as the facilitator of business and mover of large cargoes over a long distance unobtrusively.
Since his assumption of office, he has been pushing the train towards enhanced connectivity, economic growth and national integration.
Born on May 21, 1965, in Agege, Lagos State, Dr Opeifa embarked on his academic journey at the University of Ilorin, Kwara State, where he earned a BSc. In Biochemistry between 1982 and 1986. His passion for education led him to pursue postgraduate studies, culminating in a Ph.D. in Transport Planning. He joined the academic staff of the Lagos State University, (LASU), Ojo, and by the age of 29, became a member of the institution’s Senate. During his undergraduate days, he was actively involved in Student Union activities and represented UNILORIN in handball at the Nigerian Universities Games Associations (NUGA). When he left school, he teamed up with other activities to form the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), under which umbrella he fought human rights abuses under the military dictatorship.
In 2018, he began sponsoring the Lagos State Secondary Schools Handball Competition, nurturing future stars in handball and reflecting his passion for youth development.
Dr Opeifa’s foray into public service began in 2007 when he was appointed Special Adviser on Transportation, by Governor Babatunde Fashola. His tenure was marked by significant reforms, including the revitalisation of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), which was barely four years old when he assumed office. Not only did he lay the foundation for the aura and influence the agency has today. In July 2011, Opeifa was sworn in as the Commissioner for Transportation, where he implemented a wide range of reforms that has continued to impact on traffic management and public transportation in Lagos, (Africa’s most populous city state), setting a benchmark for urban transportation systems in West sub-Saharan Africa.
Beyond Lagos, Dr Opeifa became a subject matter expert on a wide range of issues regarding transportation that was soon noticed at the national level, when in 2017, he was appointed as the Transport Secretary for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), by the Minister for Transportation Mohammed Musa Bello. His role involved overseeing transportation systems in Abuja, ensuring efficiency and safety of all the modes in the nation’s federal capital.
In 2019, under President Muhammadu Buhari, he was appointed Vice Chairman and team Leader of the Presidential Committee charged with the task of decongesting the Apapa Port and its access roads, an assignment Opeifa discharged creditably. His team resolved the decade long traffic congestion that was almost becoming endemic in Lagos. His Committee not only restored sanity, they brought back order and improved traffic flow in the otherwise heavily congested port area.
Today, despite the two ports in Apapa being the busiest in Nigeria, contributing hugely to the nation’s GDP, traffic management has remained unmatched.
Since his appointment on January 22, 2025, greeted with optimism from a welt of stakeholders, particularly workers, Opeifa has started a silent revolution to rewrite the story of Nigeria’s oldest corporation. His wealth of experience and extensive background in transportation management has positioned him most suitably as the change agent needed to spearhead the modernization of the Nigerian Railway system.
At his inaugural address at the NRC headquarters at Ebute Meta, Lagos, he emphasized his commitment to railway repair and maintenance, vitalisation, efficiency, safety, and customer satisfaction, while playing big on workers welfare and improved condition of service.
Under him, the NRC aims not only to modernize and expand the nation’s rail infrastructure by not fixating on the deployment of modern rail system, (known as the standard gauge), but one that aims at repairing the old narrow gauge, cherish the rich story behind the system and optimize the rich network of rail assets in the country. Standing shoulders tall at 127 years old, this year, the corporation is arguably West Africa’s oldest railway system.
Since he assumed office, Opeifa has initiated a number of initiatives such as; railing with the state, optimizing railway systems, both narrow and standard, and a cargo revolution, that aims at returning the golden era of the railway which was hallmarked by high cargo freights from the hinterlands to the ports. His plan is to connect all agro-allied belts of the country by rail and revive local industries by servicing them with spurs that would remove their headaches of linking with the railway networks, whether narrow or standard gauge.
Within his first few months in office, Opeifa’s revolution has witnessed a boost as APMT has started loading containers thrice weekly from its quays in Apapa straight to Moniya on the standard gauge, while Inland Container Nigeria Ltd. (ICNL) has also shown interest to move cargo from Kaduna to Lagos. Presently, the railway is moving commodities such as Cement, Gypsum, Soda Ash, and some cereals from various manufacturing giants in the country, all aimed at cutting down the cost of logistics thereby reducing the cost to end users/consumers.
His commitment to workers’ welfare has resulted in a huge resurgence of hope among the rank and file of workers who are being motivated by Opeifa’s uncommon approach to their wellbeing. Not only did he provide them with some bags of rice during the last Eid celebration, his presence at the Eagle Square during the Workers’ Day has remained a reference point. Also efforts are at an advanced stage to change the face of railway workers. Soon, Nigerians would begin to see Railway Locomotive Drivers, Health workers, Engineers in very beautiful official uniforms. Also part of his reforms is the return of the Railway Security outfit to complement the Nigeria Police Command and the Nigeria Civil Defence and Security Corps (NSCDC) in intelligence gathering across all its seven districts in the country.
The workers are being motivated and equipped to deliver on the corporation’s mandate in line with the visions of the current administration’s renewed hope agenda for transportation where the railway is saddled with a huge responsibility.
Opeifa’s commitment to the customer’s satisfaction is almost unequalled. Not only has he assured that the narrow gauge would begin to wear a new look, the promise has started manifesting as the interiors of the narrow gauge coaches are being remodeled, with plans on to ensure they are fitted with fans and in some cases for First Class coaches, air conditioning units.
He is playing big on deploying technologies to improve efficiency and safety, as well as fostering partnership to drive progress in the railway sub-sector of the economy. Efforts are afoot to improve the ambience of all NRC structures nationwide to give them a fresh dab of colour to show the vitality of the resurging corporation.
Opeifa time and again he has demonstrated his consistency and dedication to a sector he has picked as his niche. As the Managing Director of the NRC, his vision and leadership acumen is poised at transforming the country’s railway infrastructure, fostering economic growth and enhancing the quality of lives of the average Nigerian currently buckling at the weight of crushing economic realities.
Dr. Opeifa’s commitment to the overall improvement of everything around him is rather an effective thing that comes from within. This is evident in the ways he reaches out to faceless Nigerians in an unobtrusive manner. This he has amply evidenced in his sponsorship of the Lagos State Secondary Schools Handball competition, sponsorship of a number of music artistes, and a deeply religious life that celebrates the place of the divine in the affairs of man. His personal life reflects a balance between professional responsibilities and family commitments. He is married with children.
This piece was first published in The Nation Newspaper
