The House of Representatives has urged the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) to provide measures to curb repeated train accidents with other vehicles.
The House which Tuesday observed a minute silence in honour of the casualties of the various train mishaps in Nigeria, also directed the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau to investigate the causes of the various train incidences.
The resolution was a fall out of a motion under matters of urgent public importance, sponsored by Hon. Unyime Idem, who noted the urgent need to curb the incessant loss of lives in train mishaps.
The lawmakers recalled that in January 2023, a train accident was reported in the Kubwa axis of Abuja, which claimed the life of Selimota Suleiman, a staff of the Nigerian Television Authority, while on Thursday, March 9, 2023, a moving train rammed into a BRT bus in Lagos state, claiming about six lives and many others injured.
He further recalled that on March 28, 2022, an Abuja – Kaduna train was attacked, and many Nigerians lost their lives while others were either injured or abducted, and also that a Warri – Itakpe train derailed in Kogi forest, leaving not less than 300 passengers stranded barely a month after about 20 passengers were abducted from a train station in Igueben, Edo state.
“In spite of these unfortunate trends, which are, as a result of the carelessness of some individuals, no one has ever been held to account for the unfortunate loss of lives”, he said.
He added that these unfortunate incidents are occurring very often because not much seems to be done to forestall the occurrence.
