The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has witnessed a surge in the numbers of companies bidding for its 2025 contracts, as a total of 803 firms were confirmed to have submitted applications, compared to 524 firms that bided last year.
The Managing Director of the NRC, Dr. Kayode Opeifa, noted that the increment may be due to the confidence more people now have in the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The NRC MD, who was represented by the Director, Medical Services, Mr. Albert Asowata, said: “The surge in the numbers of firms bidding is due to the confidence people have in the agenda of Mr. President.
“Our scope has been expanded. There are many programmes the MD has launched since he assumed office. One of such programmes is the railing with the states. All the State governments are now keying into railways.
“Just three days ago, the Federal Government also disclosed that the Kano-Maradi rail line will be completed in 2026.
“That shows that there is renewed vigor and hope to expand the rail industry, to move the country forward.
“Again, just yesterday, the NRC MD read riot act to all those people that have blocked our rail line right-of-way to the jetty. The MD has set up a committee to review the presence of these people on the railway right-of-way to the jetty. The MD wants to ensure there is an access to the jetty for goods to come in through the rail to other parts of the country.
“So, there is a lot of things going on in the railways and people are hearing about them. So, that accounts for the increase in the number of firms applying for bids compared to last year.”
Opeifa also assured all the bidders that the bid opening ceremony will be conducted in an unbiased, transparent and efficient manner by a well-trained team.
“The critical area that we are looking at for this fiscal year is on wash-out in civil works, bridges and culvert.
“This is because most of the tracks are already washed out by heavy rains. We are trying to ensure that all the wash-outs are taken care of,” the NRC MD added.
The bidding process had independent observers like the Civil Liberty Organisation (CLO), Nigerian Network of NGOs, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Chartered Institute for Purchasing and Supply Management, amongst others in attendance.
