Abuja-Kaduna train: Terrorist demand 400m from Railway workers
..threaten industrial action over condition of Service, arrears of benefits
By Seun Ibiyemi
Barely three months after the kidnapping of Abuja-Kaduna train passengers, terrorist has demanded for the ransom of 400 million from Railway workers to release four of it members.
This even as the union threaten industrial action to protest its arrears of benefits and better condition of Service at the expiration of the two weeks ultimatum it served the Federal Government through the management of Nigeria Railway Corporation(NRC).
Speaking to Nigerian NewsDirect Daily on a telephone call, the President-General of the National Union of Railway Workers, Comrade Innocent Ajiji said that after the kuje prison breakout, kidnappers of our members are demanding for 100million on each on four them been kidnapped.
He said, “Four of our members is yet to be released, the ones that has been released are contract staff, they are not our members, they are staffs that sells food and drinks in the train.
“After the kuje prison breakout, the bandit said they have successfully released their members which they are using to bargain with the Federal Government, so they demanded for ransom.
The strike due to commence on Wednesday 13th July on the expiration of the ultimatum on Tuesday, is already faced with uncertainty as the NRC is said to be currently running on deficit and presents no hope for the workers’ demand.
Although the management of NRC has been making frantic efforts to avert the strike, it was learnt as it held a round-table discussion with the leadership of the union on Wednesday, last week.
According to him, “While the discussion is ongoing the ultimatum equally is counting, so we pray before the expiration of the ultimatum, all the items we raised would have been addressed and if that happens we won’t have any reason to embark on industrial action,” comrade Ajiji assured.
Earlier in a statement jointly signed by the President and Secretary-General of NUR, comrade innocent Luka Ajiji and Segun Esan, respectively, the Union decried poor working conditions of railway workers and the urgent need for government to look into it and improve on them or risk shutting down the railways.
Among the issues raised were for Government to look into the Standard Condition of Service which was reviewed but wasn’t acted upon. The non-payment of allowances, stretching workers beyond the approved 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week by the Public Service Rule(PSR), administrative delay in promotion and the non implementation of the ninety five percent salary enhancement approval and among others were issues listed by the union.
The meeting had in attendance the Managing Director of NRC Engr. Fidet Okhiria and the two in-house unions-NUR and Senior Staff Association.
In a similar development, the NRC has been said to be running on deficit as it has continued gulp money as a result of the ongoing revitalisation process and therefore generate nothing to meaningful to cover its liabilities.
A senior management staff who prefers to be anonymous confirmed that the Corporation was facing serious challenges in running the trains which he attributed to the high cost of diesel and Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).
According to him,“We all know and see the continuous rise in diesel and PMS and the effects on the economy, the effect are biting hard on the NUR.
“Ever since the increase in price of diesel, our tickets prices have remained the same and we cannot just increase the prices and this is affecting our business.”
According to the reports of Nigeria Bureau on Statistics (NBS), in 2021 NUR, generated N6. 08 billion into the government coffer. The same year under review, the corporation had about 2.71 million passengers and 168,301 tons of goods.
Again, the prices of diesel have risen to more than 100 percent since last year. The Abuja – Kaduna line which is the major source of revenue has also been short down following the attack on the train.
