Said Alkali, The Minister of Transportation, has ordered an immediate overhaul of the Kubwa Train Station following an unscheduled inspection that revealed a range of critical issues, including vandalism, poor maintenance, and a lack of accessibility for physically challenged and elderly passengers.
The Minister of Transportation has ordered an immediate overhaul of the Kubwa Train Station following an unscheduled inspection that revealed a range of critical issues, including vandalism, poor maintenance, and a lack of accessibility for physically challenged and elderly passengers.
The Minister’s directive for an overhaul of the Kubwa Train Station highlights the broader issues of poor maintenance and neglect that plague many government-owned assets across the country.
The inspection, conducted on Monday, was prompted by reports of vandalism that had compromised the station’s power supply from the national grid. The resulting power outage has left the station in darkness, forcing the management to rely on alternative power sources to continue operations.
This was disclosed in a press statement signed by Olujimi Oyetomi, Director, of Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Transportation.
The Minister, upon arrival at the station, was disappointed to find that many staff members were absent from their posts, and the station was almost non-operational, with the luggage security scanners and power supply turned off despite it being within working hours.
The station manager also took the Minister on a tour of the vandalized power installation, during which the minister directed the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), and station management to urgently liaise with the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) to restore power and enhance security at the facility.
Further inspections revealed significant shortcomings in the station’s design and maintenance. Alkali noted that the staircases used by passengers disembarking from trains were not accessible to physically challenged individuals and the elderly.
He criticized the absence of escalators and labelled the design as a critical oversight, calling for immediate action to rectify the issue at the Ministry, NRC, and contractor levels.
In addition to the design flaws, the Minister found that communication equipment in the station’s communication rooms was no longer functional, and one of the two installed luggage security scanners had stopped working. He requested a demonstration of the operational scanner to assess its functionality.
Alkali also inspected the station’s convenience facilities, which he found to be in poor condition, and demanded improvements to ensure that services provided to users are of the highest standard. The state of the station’s car park also drew criticism from the minister, as floodwaters had exacerbated existing potholes, creating further hazards for commuters.
“We have taken note of several facilities that should serve the users of the station. We will be retreating to the office to do the needful at the level of the ministry, the Railway Corporation, and of course, the contractor, to see how we can fix the facility,” the minister stated
The minister’s visit has brought these issues to the forefront, prompting a renewed focus on ensuring that public infrastructure meets the needs of all citizens.
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