Staff members working with the Nigeria Railway Cooperation in Kano have petitioned the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, over the alleged sale of their quarters by the management of the corporation’s business arm, the Nigerian Railway Properties Ltd.
The staffers claimed that the NRP converted the staff quarters for private use after dislodging the workers from their homes.
The workers under the umbrella of the Nigerian Union of Railway Workers and Senior Staff Association of Communications Transport Cooperation called on the government to wade into the matter.
In a document obtained by our correspondent, the NRC staff fingered the Zonal Manager of Nigerian Railway Property Limited, Kano, Timothy Zalanga, of culpability.
The workers in their petition to the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Kano State Government, dated January 10, 2025, through their solicitors, K. Magaji & Associates, signed by Nathan Umide, accused the management of the railway corporation and its Nigerian District Manager, Northern District, Kano, of alleged “illegal, unlawful, inhumane and devastating actions of sales of homes” of staff since 2006 till 2023.”
The petition read, “Sir, as stated earlier, the set of properties sold off in the year 2006 had its occupants given the sum of N35,000 as relocation money, and the said amount was deducted from their salaries. The railway management converted all the money paid by the developers and individual purchasers to their own use. Sir, we have living witnesses of the atrocity in Kano who are ready to appear before you to testify.
“Those who were again forcefully ejected in the year 2010 were given N70,000 to N90,000 as relocation fees, and these paltry sums were again deducted from the staff salaries.
“Sir, the same scenario played out in 2010 when all those forcefully ejected were given N200,000 to N300,000 as relocation fees, and the same was deducted from their salaries. The entire money paid by the alleged developers was again converted to their private use by the railway management.
The worker said it continued in 2023. Meanwhile, The PUNCH gathered that one of the purchasers of the buildings built another staff quarters, which they claimed was agreed to be transferred to some affected junior staff who were forcefully evacuated from their homes.
Following the development, The PUNCH gathered that the National President of the union, Innocent Ajiji, suspended the Kano chapter’s executives of the union.
Ajiji confirmed the development, saying the chapter executives were lying against the management and may be sacked if they don’t desist.
He said, “When I asked them why they employed the service of a lawyer for a union matter, they denied it. I then asked them to debunk the lawyer’s claim, but they refused. How do I then believe them? And they expected that I would allow them to continue to be an executive member of the union? They should be careful; else I will ask the management to sack them, and then they will be speaking from outside the railway corporation.”
Also in his response, the embattled manager dismissed any fraud allegation against him, saying that a joint committee put up by the former minister of transport has presented a position paper before the Attorney-General of the Federation.
Zalanga said the national body of the union was aware of all that was done regarding the property, adding that no shady deal was made.
He said, “It is an issue about their quarters, and the national body of the union is very aware of what is happening and the developments. Before now, you know there has also been an issue of monetization between the union and the NRC management, but all these issues have already been laid to rest.”