Development Expert Knocks Ministry of Transport over Abuja-Kaduna Train Ticket Racketeering
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By Bashir Hassan Hassan
The initiator of a pressure movement ‘Change Makers Nigeria’, Hajara Yakubu Wanka has tongue lashed the federal ministry of transport for it’s inability to curtail the growing train ticket racketeering at the Abuja – Kaduna rail station.
Wanka expressed this concern in a viral video, saying that passengers now pay double or more to ticket racketeers to be able to travel through and fro the Abuja-Kaduna route.
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She said citizens cannot ply the Abuja-Kaduna express road due to activities of armed bandits, kidnappers and other criminals elements that are holding sway in that axis.
She further said that even with the introduction of online booking, the persistent activities of the racketeers was not curtailed because of the involvement of some unscrupulous officials at the train station.
“They buy the entire tickets online and when genuine travellers want to book for a ticket or two, the portal will tell them that all tickets are sold out.
“When you go to the train station you will see many stranded passengers on ground because they could afford the exorbitant price charged by the racketeers while the train took off with more than half of the seats unoccupied.
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In the viral video, Wanka also advised the federal ministry of transport to go into public private partnership arrangements in running the train station because according to her, “with private sector participation in the running of the train stations , the activities of these undesirable elements will be mitigated to the barest minimum”.
The visibly annoyed Wanka was seen in the viral video lamenting the hard times average Nigerians are going through.
“As it is, Nigerians have to contend with high cost of living occasioned by the porous economic environment, couple with the security challenges that does not guarantee one’s life and safety.
Our correspondent reports that ‘Change Makers Nigeria’ is a pressure group that holds government at all levels accountable to spur it into action.
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