The House of Representatives Committee on Finance has began investigation into allegations of ticket racketeering by officials of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).
Fidet Okhiria, Managing Director of NRC however confirmed the allegations while appearing before the Committee at the 2024–2026 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP) interactive session in Abuja on Wednesday.
He said that the members of staff involved in the ticket racketeering have been sacked, while some with fewer offences have been demoted.
James Faleke, the chairman of the committee, had posed a question to the MD, saying, “Social media clips show how your staffers are engaging in ticket racketeering.”
Responding, Okhiria said, “This is true, and the solution to that is e-ticketing, and the government has approved that.”
He said the corporation was working with the security agencies to arrest the menace.
He said many of the staff involved in the dastard act had been sacked, and some had been demoted depending on the offence they committed.
Meanwhile, the office of the Accountant General for the Federation said the NRC had only remitted N345 million in revenue for 2023, adding that the remittances covered January to September.
Faleke, however, expressed worry about the revenue generated, adding that “our concern is that if we expect so much revenue from NRC and we aren’t getting it, then there is a problem.
“I think we should take the decision that the railway should self-fund and take care of their costs and remit to the government the surplus,” he said.
