STAFF and retirees of Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) in Kano State have appealed to the Federal Government to intervene in the eviction notice served on them by the organisation.
The railway workers on Monday said the management of the NRC issued them final notice to vacate the railway quarters in Kano against the ruling of the court.
The workers, who took turns to speak to reporters in Kano on the attempt to eject them from the remaining five blocks of 24, however, called on the Federal Government, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as well as the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, (ICPC) to wade in by investigating the continuous sales of their quarters.
Addressing journalists after receiving a delegation of the staff union that came to inspect the property, a retiree, Kabir Kuta, regretted that the NRC management embarked on selling railway property to private individuals against the Federal Government’s monetisation policy.
Kuta, who said he served the corporation for 35-years, complained bitterly about the unjust act by the management.
“The Federal Government sometimes around 2005, under former President Olusegun Obasanjo administration, directed the management to monetise the quarters to the staff, but they (the management) are taking that privilege to eject us from our quarters selling it to outsiders.
“That was the same time they monetised NITEL and other organisations, and just now, they monetised that of NNPC.
“The management did not monetise the quarter but went to the court, and as we speak, the matter is in the Industrial Court still dragging.
“We were having over 300 quarters and staffs. So they used that privilege to come and deceive staff because we have a vast land. That when they demolish, they will build another one.
“They demolished the first quarter and couldn’t build another. They demolished the second and gave a token amount to staff which varies. Some were given N50,000, N60,000, N80,000, while some were given N100,000, but at the end of the day, they deducted the money they gave them from their salaries,” Kuta said.
Kuta said the NRC evicted over 300 staff and retirees occupying the facility in Kano and sold the property to private individuals instead of the occupants as directed by the government.
A reporter with the ICIR
A Journalist with a niche for quality and a promoter of good governance