NRC, Tukur and fresh impetus for Nigeria’s rail transportation

To say that the nation’s railway system in its current form needs a more strategic intervention is an understatement. My view is that many Nigerians who experienced the comfort and efficiency of rail transportation, when the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) was at its best in its early days, are eagerly awaiting the day Nigeria railway system would bounce back fully on track.  I have a feeling that many people who read the recent newspaper advertisements on the stewardship of NRC under President Goodluck Jonathan’s transformation agenda would be more delighted at Nigeria having a better and improved railway system than we currently have. Nevertheless, the recent comments on the state of Nigeria’s rail sub-sector credited to the newly-appointed board chairman of NRC, Bamanga Tukur, seemed to offer a fresh glimmer of hope.

Tukur had during a tour of NRC facilities assured Nigerians of Federal Government’s readiness to give the corporation every support it deserves so that it can meet the international standards required of a modern railway system. While noting that the management of the railway corporation had made some progress, he promised that NRC under his watch was set to offer improved services and bring Nigeria up-to-date with a contemporary railway system as applicable in other countries such as the United Kingdom, United States, Japan, China, among others.

Tukur was quoted to have said, inter alia: “I believe that the government of Nigeria will provide what is required, and the management and staff of the railway are also prepared to back that resolve so that the job can be done. I have seen everything and I am impressed…. My vision for NRC is a modern railway system for modern society. I want the Nigerian railway to go beyond the country to Tanzania and many other countries. In fact, I want to divide Africa into two with the Nigerian railway system.”

He also said that there was a new motivation to make the staffers perform more efficiently, and that his vision was to make the rail system in Nigeria become a model in Africa, promising to bring his wealth of experience to bear in giving the country a reliable, effective and efficient rail system.

As an entrepreneur who is in tune with global economic direction, the NRC chairman further beckoned on prospective investors to consider the limitless opportunities in the sub-sector through the new infrastructure financing model – Public Private Partnership (PPP).

Going by our sad experience of failed promises, most Nigerians would ordinarily take Tukur’s new revivalist zeal with a pinch of salt. But I reason differently that, partisan politics apart, it would be a disservice if we fail to evaluate the person of Tukur from the perspective of his exploits as a successful entrepreneur and a major contributor to the economic, commercial and industrial development of Nigeria, Africa and the world.

For example, the de-congestion of the Lagos ports within few weeks of Tukur’s appointment as the general manager of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), in the mid-1970s, was a testimonial of a good manager in him. Government at that time had a challenge of port congestion caused by the massive cement importation it embarked on to build some public infrastructure. His ingenuity as NPA boss also encouraged government to build more seaports in the country. This helped to ease the transaction cost associated with shipping and to ensure adequate facilities for Nigeria’s import and export needs. In addition, Tukur reformed ports administration by eliminating touting and theft at the ports.

Tukur also comes to mind as a celebrated global economic strategist for his exemplary leadership of the African Business Roundtable and his chairmanship of NEPAD Business Group. In a tribute to Tukur’s inspiring records of achievements, respected industrialist, Isyaku Ibrahim, said three virtues best describe his personality – hard work, loyalty and discipline.

“Never a man taken to idleness, Tafida (Tukur) is highly mobile and adventurous. Elected in faraway South Africa years ago as president, African Business Roundtable, Tafida with his customary energy has taken the ABR to all major capitals of the western world – London, Paris, Washington and New York – thereby making his name in the international circle. Today the ABR has been accorded observer status at the United Nations, the Commonwealth, the G8 and the African Union,” Ibrahim said.

Tukur’s academic attainments as a graduate of the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, University of Pittsburgh and London School of Economics and Political Science also provide him the intelligence and wherewithal to steer NRC in the right path of reliability and efficiency. His understanding of our national transportation need, having served as a minister of industry, will also come handy coupled with his love for intellectual endowment, a motivating factor that led him to endow the Bamanga Tukur Institute for International Trade and Development at the University of Port Harcourt.

If these few factors are considered out of a legion of Tukur’s credentials, I reckon that many Nigerians, the international community and in particular entrepreneurs would be gratified by Tukur’s optimism on the revitalisation of the country’s railway, on one hand, and the limitless investment opportunities as well as the associated socio-economic benefits that a functional rail transportation sub-sector will bring on the country. Therefore, his headship of NRC board at this crucial time is an essentially refreshing impetus in the efforts by the Nigerian government to accord rail transportation its rightful place as a major contributor to the socio-economic development of the country.

I believe Tukur will make good his promise to give Nigeria an efficient rail system that she deserves. I think most concerned stakeholders also believe him.