The Federal Government through the Ministry of Transportation has set up a committee to oversee the monetization of railway quarters across the country.
This is to help increase government revenue while also enhancing the living circumstances of railroad employees.
The committee will be in charge of figuring out the quarters’ market value, creating a payment schedule for potential buyers, and making sure the procedure is fair and open.
Segun Esan, the Secretary-General National Union of Railway Workers, made this disclosure in Abuja over the weekend.
Esan further said that members of the committee include the President Senior Staff Association NRC Branch, Marcel Chuckwuemeka and the President-General of NUR, Innocent Ajiji.
In a letter signed by the Secretary-General, NUR, Segun Esan and the Secretary-General Senior Staff Association (NRC Branch), Jubrin Kadiri, dated March 7, 2023, and titled ‘Railway quarters physical data gathering’ addressed to the chairman/secretary, NUR and SSA EBJ, IB, MX, KAF, EN, BCK, ZRX, RPMCL, AKTS, WITS, directed all the district organs to work together with their district management to compile information on all NRC quarters and their occupants, including their GL and whether they are serving or retired.
The letter reads in part: “All the district organs are implored to liaise with their district management (admin) to gather data of all NRC quarters and occupants of each quarter and their GL as serving or retired occupants.
“This is in line with the request of the Ministerial Committee on NRC Staff Quarters that is presently sitting in Abuja. The key information to collect is the name of the principal occupant, designation of the occupant, location of the quarters, grade level, copy of letter/proof of allocation, and remarks (serving or retired).
“Treat this as a matter of urgency while we look forward to having your comprehensive result on or before Friday, March 10 Monday, March 13, 2023.”
Esan was quoted saying, “If you recall in 2004/2005 under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, there was a provision of the law on the monetisation of staff quarters, which directed that all staff quarters under the Federal Government should be sold for the sitting tenants and the reason for that policy is to help the National Housing Funds that could not actively come up with its mandate of providing every Nigerian with a house on his or her head.
“Apart from that the FG realised that resources for maintaining all those quarters can be so much so to save cost they decided that all the FG staff living in those quarters across Ministries Agencies and Departments apart from those that come under essentials and those that come under essentials are the military barracks, paramilitary barracks and a few others.”
