Barely one week after he assumed office as the new Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Dr Kayode Opeifa has perfected plans for movement of cargo from the APM Terminal, Apapa Port to the NRC freight yard in Moniya, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
The agreement was reached following a high-level meeting led by the new NRC boss and the Director of Operations, Mr. Akin Osinowo, with the APM Terminals Apapa team, led by the Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Frederik Klinke and Chief Commercial Officer Mrs. Caroline Aubert-Adewuyi.
According to a statement on the NRC ooficial X handle, this initiative aims to improve cargo logistics, ease port congestion, and boost trade efficiency by leveraging the rail network for seamless freight movement between Lagos and Ibadan.
During the meeting, Klinke assured NRC of greater efficiency in turnaround of cargo at the port and expansion of the use of rail for cargo evacuation and export through APM Terminals.
The NRC Managing Director expressed appreciation for APM Terminal’s close partnership with the Corporation, which goes back decades.
L-R: Director of Operations, Nigerian Railway Corporation, Akin Osinowo; APMT CEO, Mr Frederik Klinke; MD, Nigerian Railway Corporation, Dr Kayode Opeifa; and the CCO, APMT Nigeria, Mrs Caroline Aubert-Adewuyi, during the meeting at the NRC headquarters, Ebute Meta, Lagos.
He stated that the collaboration is going to be of tremendous benefit for both parties, as “we are going to work for the satisfaction of not only the APMT but all customers who intend to do business with Railways.”
Opeifa reiterated his determination to change the corporation for good as he said in his maiden speech at the assumption of office.
“Prioritising customers’ satisfaction by improving customer experience and ensuring that our services are reliable, efficient, safe and sustainable remains cardinal to me,” he said.
He added that all key stakeholders, including the media, will be deployed extensively to encourage people towards greater use of the rail system.
Earlier, Klinke reiterated APMT’s position as the foremost transporter of container freight in the country and a major partner to the Nigerian Railway Corporation.
He highlighted the strategic advantage Nigeria held, being surrounded by a number of landlocked neighbouring countries, creating an opportunity to serve as a hub for the importation of containerised goods.
Opeifa, an astute transport administrator, was the backbone of a presidential task force set up by the Muhammadu Buhari administration in May 2019, headed by ex-VP Yemi Osibanjo, to clear the perennial Apapa Port road gridlock. The workaholic was seen working on the road, day and night, Monday to Sunday, in rain and sunshine, to ensure a free flow of traffic, until Dangote completed the reconstruction of the port access roads.
Nigerians on X have hailed his early result for taking advantage of the low-haniging fruits in the railway subsector and for his competence to effect the desired change in the railway corporation.
