Driving the Renewed Hope Agenda on Rails:Dr. Kayode Opeifa’s Vision for a Connected Nigeria
By Adamu Abubakar Ahmed
Under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Renewed Hope Agenda has become a beacon guiding Nigeria’s journey toward inclusive growth, national integration, and infrastructural rebirth. In this vision, the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), led by its Managing Director, Dr. Kayode Opeifa, plays a pivotal role—laying tracks not just across the land, but deep into the soul of the nation’s economic and social recovery.
Dr. Opeifa, a seasoned transport reform advocate and visionary administrator, has set in motion a three-pronged strategy to align the Corporation’s mandate with the Renewed Hope Agenda: Railing with States, the Track Access Programme, and the Freight Revolution by Rail.
1. Railing with States: Subnational Partnerships for National Progress
Recognizing that infrastructure development must be inclusive and locally relevant, Dr. Opeifa has spearheaded the “Railing with States” initiative—a collaborative model that invites subnational governments to actively participate in rail development.
“States are no longer passive beneficiaries,” Dr. Opeifa asserts. “They are now partners, co-creators, and investors in the future of rail.”
Under this framework, the NRC is signing Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with several state governments to co-develop intra-city rail systems, revive abandoned corridors, and extend last-mile connectivity to major economic clusters. Lagos, Kano, Ogun, plateau,Abia and Enugu have shown promising engagement, setting a national example for decentralized rail planning that still flows into a unified national network.
2. Track Access Programme: Unlocking Private Sector Investment
To accelerate rail modernization and reduce fiscal pressure on government, Dr. Opeifa has introduced the Track Access Programme (TAP)—a bold policy shift that opens existing rail corridors to licensed private operators.
Through TAP, logistics companies, industrial parks, and even state-backed ventures can lease access to NRC tracks and operate their own locomotives and wagons under regulated standards. This public-private model is already attracting investors and easing the bottlenecks in the movement of bulk goods.
“This is about unlocking our hidden capacity,” says Dr. Opeifa. “The tracks are built. Why let them lie underutilized when we can create jobs, move goods, and build wealth by sharing access responsibly?”
TAP is more than policy—it is a paradigm shift that invites innovation, increases efficiency, and upholds safety and service quality, all in alignment with the Renewed Hope of a thriving, competitive Nigerian economy.
3. Freight Revolution by Rail: Reclaiming the Logistics Backbone
At the heart of the President’s economic plan is the need to drastically improve logistics. Dr. Opeifa’s Freight Revolution by Rail is a direct response—aimed at moving Nigeria from a road-dependent freight model to a multimodal logistics ecosystem powered by rail.
Under this programme, NRC is rehabilitating and upgrading key freight corridors—Lagos to Kano, Port Harcourt to Maiduguri, Warri to Itakpe—and strengthening linkages to ports, warehouses, and dry ports across the country.
The strategy is already yielding results. Cement, petroleum products, fertilizers, and agricultural produce are returning to the rails, saving time and cost for businesses while reducing pressure on Nigeria’s overburdened highways.
Freight terminals are being redesigned as logistics hubs, integrated with road transport, inland waterways, and digital tracking systems. This revolution is not only moving goods faster—it is also reviving towns along the corridors, creating jobs, and expanding local economies
Conclusion: Rails of Renewed Hope
With a clear strategy rooted in collaboration, innovation, and pragmatism, Dr. Kayode Opeifa is steering the NRC to become more than a transport agency—it is now a driver of national renewal.
Through Railing with States, the Track Access Programme, and the Freight Revolution by Rail, the Nigerian Railway Corporation is delivering on the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda—bringing Nigerians closer, industries stronger, and the economy more resilient.
As steel meets soil across Nigeria, hope moves not just on wheels—but in the hearts of a people journeying toward a better tomorrow.
