The Federal Ministry of Transportation on Monday in Abuja, launched the electronic ticketing platform for the Lagos-Ibadan and Itakpe-Warri train services.
This was as the Minister of Transportation, senator Sa’idu Alkali, cautioned the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) from indulging in ticket racketeering, stressing that such infraction would attract severe consequences.
Alkali gave the warning while launching the e-ticketing platform at the Ministry, saying that the platform would make it easy for customers to buy tickets in the comfort of their houses, assuring also that the new method would ensure safety of passengers on board the train.
According to the Minister, the e-ticketing platform will be accessible to the public on November 1, 2023, pointing out that the fundamental motive behind the initiative was to address the problem of ticket racketeering at the train stations by the staff of NRC.
His words: “The essence of this e-ticketing is to make it easy for us to get our ticket; to ensure security of our passengers, to avoid racketeering because it is the desire of this administration to have zero tolerance for corruption. We launch it today to the glory of God and to the benefit of our citizenry.”
In her speech, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Transportation/ Marine and Blue Economy, Mrs. Magdalene Ajani, said that the contract was awarded by the Federal Executive Council early this year.
She further said, “The contract was a concession, and Nigeria did not pay a dime. The private individuals brought their money to get this done, and they will recoup their money over a period of ten years.”
The Managing Director of the NRC, Mr. Fidet Okhiria, said that the e-ticketing would reduce physical contact between passengers and staff of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, NRC, assuring that it would also tackle the problem of ticket racketeering amongst the staff of the Corporation.
He also said the e-ticketing platform would be extended from 24 hours to 48 hours, so that people could buy tickets 48 hours before their journey, noting also that it would be open until 15 minutes before boarding time.
Okhiria also clarified that the tickets would be non-refundable, revealing that some staff of the NRC who were caught on camera commiting infractions had been sanctioned accordingly. He noted that some of the offenders were dismissed, some demoted while others were suspended some a period of time, to serve as deterrent to future offenders.
His words: “I want to appreciate all that were involved in the concessionaire process. The process has been on for about three years. We have to thank NITDA, we have to thank ICRC and others. Today, Nigerians would be able to buy their tickets online and start their journey without any hindrance or struggle to start running to the station.
“Those initially caught in the act of ticket racketeering and my staff that are caught cheating, four of them were sacked, seven of them have been demoted and in Itakpe, two people have been suspended. As for the improvement, I can say that we did not earn anything less than N4 million last week in a day for the Itakpe-Warri trip last week. By the time the e-ticketing commences, the Itakpe-Warri earning would go up.”
Also, the high point of the event was when the contractors for the platform, Global Software and Digital Solutions and Fane Warri-Itakpe Ticketing Solutions LTD, demonstrated to the audience on how to operate the platforms on the Nigerian Railway Corporation website.
The platform allows customers to buy tickets with their National Identification Number, NIN, online, while there will also be point-of-sale machines for those who want to purchase at the station.
The contractors, explained that the machines for ticket purchases would be linked with the system to track payments and ensure there is no racketeering. There will also be a verification point before boarding to ensure that the data of customers match that of the ticket holder.
