By David Agba
Abuja
Stakeholders at the recent one day public hearing organised by the Senate Committee on Land Transportation on the Nigerian Railway Corporation Act repeal and re-enactment Bill 2015 held at the National Assembly, Abuja have underscored the need to open up the railway subsector to allow private investors participation.
They also harped on the need to consider the Bill alongside the National Transport Commission (NTC) Bill in line with the recommendation of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) to ensure a regulator for the transport sector.
One after the other, the stakeholders who cut across key players in the transport sector, labour, professional and civil society groups at the event, harped on the need to reform the sector by setting up a regulator to monitor its activities.
Senate President, Bukola Saraki, noted that the Nigerian Railway Corporation Act Amendment Bill 2015, a private member Bill proposed by Senator Andy Uba, is one of the high priority bills of the National Assembly which members were determined to ensure its quick passage.
According to Senator Saraki, “the Nigerian Railway Corporation Act Amendment Bill 2015 is one of the high priority bills of the National Assembly which members are determined to ensure its passage in the manner that will be advised by participants at public hearing”.
Saraki said the existing law in the rail subsector was drafted and enacted to support an outmoded model that restricted management and investments in railway to the public sector.
Also speaking, the President of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), Professor Ben Aigbokhaen noted that for the proposed Railway Bill to be meaningful and engender private investors’ participation, there was the need for an independent regulator which the NTC Bill represents.
He enjoined the National Assembly to ensure that the Bill is passed concurrently with the NTC Bill.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Land Transport, Senator Gbenga Ashafa, organiser of the public hearing, said the repeal and re-enactment of the Act is targeted at revitalising and enhancing the operational framework and removal of the impediments that hindered international best practices in the rail transport subsector.
In his submission at the Public Hearing, the Acting Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Dr. Vincent Onome Akpotaire called for the constitution of a technical committee of relevant stakeholders in the industry to:
Review and harmonise the outcome of the Public Hearing with the National Transport Policy and the executive version of the Railway Bill in order to harvest and incorporate all the strong and good points and strengths of the reform process into one holistic bill
Review the present bill and align it with the National Transport Commission Bill and other Bills pending in the other modes of transportation ; and
Submit back to the land Transportation Committee, a draft that is holistic and harmonised fro recommendation for passage into law by the National Assembly.
