A cursory look at the revenue generated from rail transportation in 2023 shows that the Nigerian government generated approximately N2,208.28 from every Nigerian who boarded a train last year.
This calculation was done by dividing the total number of train passengers by the total revenue generated in the year.
According to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data, the total number of railway passengers for the year under review was 2.18 million, and revenue generated was N4.43 billion.
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The NBS data showed that the railway revenue dropped by 2.64 per cent in 2023 from N4.55 billion reported in the preceding year, 2022. Also, the number of passengers dropped by 32 per cent to 3.21 million.
Despite the drop in passengers and revenue in 2023, the government still made more money on train passengers in 2023 when compared to 2022.
Using the same calculation method, this means that for every train passenger in 2022, the government made N1,415.
Nigeria has 10 train boarding locations according to the Nigerian Railway Corporation. A bi-annual review of the railway data showed that more Nigerians bordered the train between July and December 2023 than in the first half of the year.
| Quarter | Passengers | Revenue from passengers | Goods/cargos | Revenue from cargos |
| Q1 | 441,725 | 768,438,658 | 59,966 | 181,270,800 |
| Q2 | 474,117 | 1,100,941,295 | 56,029 | 188,028,350 |
| Q3 | 594,348 | 1,489,200,328 | 81,963 | 286,775,780 |
| Q4 | 672,198 | 1,067,915,479 | 119,286 | 423,215,481 |
| Total | 2,182,388 | 4,426,495,760 | 317,244 | 1,079,290,411 |
Table showing the quarterly breakdown of rail transportation data in 2023. Source: NBS
Goods transported by rail
In another development, Nigerians transported more goods valued at N1.08 billion in 2023. This is higher than the N441.74 million generated in the preceding year.
The volume of goods/cargo transported in 2023 was 317,244 compared to 157,024 transported in 2022.
The data indicates that Nigerians, in 2023, prefer to send their goods by train than travel via rail. The development might not be unconnected to the skyrocketing prices of transportation after the removal of the fuel subsidy in May 2023, during the assumption of President Bola Tinubu.
Other reasons could be the several attacks and accidents reported on railways and rail stations in 2022 like the Abuja-Kaduna railway accidents. The ICIR also reported the collision between a moving train and a BRT bus in Lagos State in March 2023.
Kehinde Ogunyale tells stories by using data to hold power into account. You can send him a mail at jameskennyogunyale@gmail or Twitter: Prof_KennyJames | LinkedIn: Kehinde Ogunyale