The Nigerian Railway Corporation yesterday announced the immediate suspension of identified officers implicated in a viral video showing members negotiating with passengers on the Lagos-Ibadan Train Service (LITS) to board without obtaining official boarding ticket.
To forestall a repeat of such abberant behaviour by its staff, the corporation also announced that electronic ticketing system would be deployed on the Lagos-Ibadan Train Service (LITS) and Warri-Itakpe Train Service (WITS) by end of October, this year.
The Deputy Director Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) Yakub Mahmood in a statement issued yesterday described the incident as regretable, said their suspension was in compliance with punishing the flagrant disobedience to laid down rules and “utter betrayal of the confidence reposed on such workers, especially at a time the Federal Government is making all efforts at revitalizing and modernizing the rail fixed and rolling stock.”
The viral video according to the Mahmood is regretable and unacceptable as it negates the tenets and norms of the corporation. He said their suspension would subsists pending the outcome of the I deoth investigation already ongoing by the management committee set up to investigate the alleged infraction.
The corporation assured esteemed passengers and the general public that this unwholesome attitude and image dent to the corporation by any staff will not be tolerated not treated with levity.
Maymood said in line with the disciplinary proceeding is in line with the extant rules citi g relevant sections of the NRC General Rules and Public Service Rules (PSR), will definitely be visited on all those those found wanting or connected to this irresponsible act.
The corporation enjoined all intending passengers of LITS and other train corridors to insist and demand for boarding tickets after making appropriate payment at the designated stations or book online appropriately when e-ticketing eventually takes off.
Recall that a video which trended on social media platforms between Monday and Tuesday showed some of the corporation’s ticketing officers were seen collecting ticket fares from respected passengers thereby denying the corporation its revenue.
The Federal Government is yet paying back on the $1.7 billion loan extended to the country by the China Exim Bank, ChinaExim, for the construction of a standard gauge for the Lagos-Kano corridor.