Emmanuel Ukudolo I Thursday, January 22.26, Reporting from Abeokuta
NIGERIANS have very interesting tales and full of pride to tell about the Luxury Train service run by the Nigeria Railway Corporation, NRC which appears to be one of the best legacies of this democratic dispensation.
Although it is unlike the high speed train in the advanced democracies, many who have boarded are not only impressed but have nice tales to tell about the service.
The luxury train offers three classes, First Class, Business Class and Standard with functional air-conditioning system and onboard entertainment.
But unlike what you find with the airlines, the passengers have to pay for food and water offered by vendors contracted by the Nigeria Railway Corporation, NRC.
The LAGOS/IBADAN/ABEOKUTA service also offers free Wi-Fi service, in addition to electrical fittings that allows passengers to charge phones in motion. However, Unaccredited vendors are not allowed while preaching is prohibited.
Although the NRC seems to have made efforts to keep these services which do not come cheap, same attention seems to be lacking on stationery facilities, especially the urinals and toilets right from the Mobolaji Johnson Train Station in Lagos to the worst hit, the Professor Wole SOYINKA STATION in Abeokuta.
Signs of poor maintenance culture were just too glaring at the Abeokuta station where most of the hand wash basins have given way in both the male and female areas with some of the toilets already sealed with red tapes.
More nauseating is the fact that it will take less than N500,000 to replace or bring these faulty facilities back to functionality. Even some of the clocks are no longer working and would perhaps need just battery replacement, ditto the entry and exit signs which are in terrible state.
We sought clarification from the Deputy Director Public Relations through his published email [email protected] but he neither acknowledged nor replied our honest and patriotic inquiries regarding the state of affairs particularly the Professor Wole SOYINKA STATION.
