Train accident: Enugu government gives NRC 24-hour ultimatum

The Enugu State Government, Wednesday, slammed a 24-hour ultimatum on the Nigerian Railway Corporation over the poor working condition of its facilities in the State.

The ultimatum was sequel to the killing of a resident of the State by a train on Tuesday along the Ogbete Main Market Enugu.

It could be recalled that the victim, Ikechukwu Imediagwu, a native of Isikwuato in Abia State, the only son of his parents, died instantly, while other persons were said to have sustained injuries.

A government delegation led by the State’s commissioner for commerce and industry, Hon. Sam Ogbu Nwobodo, expressed anger at the railway crossing in Ogbete Market Enugu, where it discovered that none of the barriers was in good working condition.

Other government officials on the team included the commissioner for transport, Hon. Vitalis Okechi, the caretaker chairmen of Enugu North and Enugu South, Hon. Isaac Igwe, and Hon. Sunday Ugwu, among others.

Some officials of the railway corporation and men of the police traffic unit had engaged in heated arguement, as the latter and other eye witnesses insisted that nobody was on ground to give signal before the train suddenly bumped into the market road.

Nwobodo, however, intervened insisting that government must get to the root of the matter as it was not ready to toy with lives of residents.

“We are talking of loss of life here and I want us to bear that in mind; so, all the parties involved must cooperate with the government to ensure that this does not happen again.

“We are here on fact finding, not to apportion blames; but no responsible government will keep quiet over what has happened, that is why the Governor, His Excellency Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi constituted this team”, he stated.

While expressing concern over the failure of the railway management to give appropriate signals, he noted that

“from what we discovered today, both the automated and the manual barriers are not working.

“Consequently, the government is giving them 24 hours to put all of them in proper shape; all their staff who are in charge of putting these signals should also be there and wear identifiable uniform. Failure to do all these, the government shall take appropriate action.”

He added that “there will be comprehensive review of all railway crossings in this State; we shall also decongest the area, because the traffic situation there is also very chaotic, we are all working to make sure that it doesn’t happen again.”

The team later visited family of the deceased, the Imediegwu family, at Umunevo, in Ogui, Enugu, where they met his wife and aged mother, assuring them that the government would give them necessary assistance.