The Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Kayode Opeifa, has taken full responsibility for the derailment of the Abuja-Kaduna train that occurred along the Kaduna corridor on Tuesday.

Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday, Opeifa emphasised that accountability begins at the top and that the incident would not be ignored.

“Let me say, beyond apologising to Nigeria, I want to say as the managing director and chief executive, I take full responsibility. And in the case of safety, there is no indifference. Once it happens, the chief executive must take responsibility. In this case, I am taking responsibility,” Opeifa stated.

He added that while the derailment should not have occurred, the NRC would take every measure to prevent a recurrence.

“I want to assure Nigerians that an incident like this is not expected, is not prayed for, should not be happening, but where it does, it is to bring out the best in us,” he said.

Opeifa highlighted ongoing safety interventions across the railway network, citing recent work on the Warri-Itakpe route.

“Just as we are doing currently on the Warri-Itakpe, we shut down the Warri-Itakpe route three weeks ago. I ordered the shutdown for safety reasons, and if you see the level of work the men have been doing on the track, cutting it off and replacing it is to make sure things like this don’t happen,” he explained.

The derailment occurred shortly after the train departed Abuja at about 11 a.m. en route to Kaduna. Passengers described chaotic scenes as they scrambled to safety.

Opeifa assured Nigerians that the NRC’s ongoing investigation into the incident would be transparent and aimed at preventing future accidents.

(Guardian)