Senate has set up an ad-hoc committee to conduct a comprehensive investigation into Nigeria’s rail system, following the recent derailment on the Ujevwu–Itakpe train route.
The lawmakers also urged the Nigerian Railway Corporation to immediately restore operations on the affected line.
The resolution followed a motion sponsored by Senator Ede Dafinone, representing Delta Central Senatorial District, on the urgent need to rehabilitate the rail line and strengthen passenger safety as well as national infrastructure.
Senator Dafinone noted that the Ujevwu–Itakpe Standard Gauge Rail Line remains one of the country’s most strategic transportation corridors, linking the South-South region through Delta State to the North-Central zone, and serving as a crucial route for passengers, goods, and industrial materials.
Contributing on the debate, the Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, Senator Abdul Ningi and Senator Babangida Hussain have supported a thorough investigation in to the sector considering the huge amount of money borrowed to rehabilitate the sector.
Dafinone further notes that the line, which resumed operations on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, after three months of suspension, has within just four days of service experienced a series of alarming technical failures
The lawmaker also said maintenance downtime on Thursday, a major mechanical fault on Friday that left passengers stranded until nearly midnight, and finally a derailment near Agbor, Delta State, on Saturday, November 1, 2025.
He expressed Deep concerned that while there has fortunately been no loss of life so far, these recurring mechanical breakdowns and derailments point to grave safety lapses, inadequate technical supervision, and poor maintenance culture within the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).
Cov/Bashir M
