Retired workers of the Nigerian Railway Corporation have appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the non-implementation of the Federal Government’s housing monetisation policy for railway quarters, warning that many pensioners have died while others remain homeless.
The Association of Nigerian Railway Senior Citizens, through its chairman Olusegun Esan, made the appeal at a news conference in Lagos, explaining that the policy introduced in 2004 and 2005 was meant to allow serving and retired public officers to purchase their occupied quarters at affordable rates. Esan said the policy had been implemented in ministries, departments and agencies including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Nigerian Ports Authority and the judiciary, questioning why the railway corporation was treated differently .
He noted that past management of the corporation began implementing parts of the monetisation process by monitoring vehicles and furniture but left out the quarters where retirees live. Esan said the prolonged legal dispute had subjected many retirees and their families to hardship, with some affected pensioners dying and others rendered homeless .
The association called on the President to direct the Attorney-General of the Federation and the corporation’s management to facilitate the implementation of the monetisation policy and a 2016 court judgment. It also sought compensation and resettlement allowances for affected retirees and widows, urging the government to address their grievances without further delay .
Esan said the association had written to the corporation’s management, the Minister of Transportation, the Ministry of Justice and other relevant authorities in efforts to resolve the dispute. He said the present management had engaged the association on a possible settlement, but members rejected the proposed conditions because they allegedly contradicted the monetisation policy and the court judgment, particularly a proposal to convert ownership rights into lease arrangements .
The association’s Secretary-General, Festus Okorie, said some displaced railway workers received financial assistance to rent alternative accommodation after their quarters were demolished, but retired workers were excluded from subsequent housing allocations. He cited the Alagomeji-to-Spencer axis where about 60 workers were affected, and another location with 16 two-bedroom flats and three one-bedroom apartments accommodating about 19 families, noting that serving workers were returned to newly built quarters while retired occupants were left out .
The corporation’s management has maintained that the quarters are operational rest houses essential for railway services, arguing that monetising them would leave drivers, mechanics and other critical staff without accommodation near their operational bases. The management said it had filed an appeal against the 2016 judgment and would continue to engage stakeholders on the matter .
Abuja Network News
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