NRC MD, Opeifa Backs Nigerian Local Engineers, Canvasses FG Recognition, Support

Sunday Okobi

The Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Dr. Kayode Opeifa, has thrown his weight behind local engineers, calling on the federal government to accord them more recognition and support for their passion, industry, and resilience.

Opeifa stated this when he received the leadership of the Nigeria Society of Engineers, led by Mrs. Margaret Aina Oguntala, who was in his office recently on a courtesy visit.

According to him, “If the federal government could invest more in our local engineers, we would be saving the country billions of dollars.”

Citing the example of the NRC, Opeifa said the corporation’s local engineers have continued to save the country huge foreign exchange as they continue to improvise in keeping the corporation’s rolling stocks moving.

“The Nigerian Railway Corporation is blessed with the very best of our local engineers. They have a good work ethic, and despite the absence of necessary working tools, they have continued to use their blood, brain, sweat, and cerebrospinal fluid to keep the railway systems working,” Opeifa said.

He noted that the corporation’s engineers went beyond the rules in the books to continue to make the NRC work despite the funding.

The corporation boss added, “They have continued to demonstrate capacity. They have shown that they can build rail tracks, fix locomotive engines, and do much more.

“Our female engineers are very passionate, and they compete with their male counterparts just to contribute to the smooth operations of the railway.”

He said from the Kaduna bomb attacks and the very recent train incident at Asham, the NRC engineers were the ones who prevented the federal government from awarding any contract “to re-rail, recover and evacuate our trains. Beyond collecting materials from our supplies, we have sustained our operations through the ingenuity of our engineers, be it civil, mechanical, electrical, signals, and telecommunications engineers.”

Opeifa urged the NSE to continue to draw the attention of the government to funding gaps and the need to support local engineers, as their members have continued to prove their mettle in national development.

He said he is confident that, given the necessary backing, Nigerian engineers can rank among the best in the world.

Opeifa said the NRC is blessed with both male and female engineers who can hold their own in their areas of specialisation, adding that with the amendment to the corporation’s law which has moved railway from exclusive to concurrent list, NRC engineers are now in hot demand as they are being poached by states and regional development commissions that have started taking more than passing interest in rail transportation.

Earlier, Mrs. Oguntala, who is the 34th president and first female president of the Society, applauded the NRC managing director for the positive transformation of the railway transportation.

She said Opeifa has reawakened a strong consciousness of work ethics with a focus on ensuring value for money, which is resulting in effective and efficient service delivery.

According to her, “Your commitment to enhancing transparency in railway administration is noteworthy, and we applaud these efforts. This direction inspires confidence and aligns closely with our shared aspirations for a better and more accountable Nigeria.”

Oguntala said she has come to personally invite the NRC boss to attend its flagship event, which is the 2025 International Engineering Conference, Exhibition and Annual General Meeting with the theme: ‘Engineering Innovation for a sustainable blue economy’, which is coming up from December 1 to 5, 2025, in Ibadan, Oyo State.

“As the largest engineering gathering in sub-Saharan Africa, the conference attracts over 8,000 participants from Nigeria and across the globe, comprising engineers, policy makers, industry stakeholders, academics, and development partners,” she said.