‘Late NRC Chairman advocated for enhanced workers’ salaries

The deceased Chairman of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Engr. Usman Abubakar who passed on last Thursday at an Abuja hospital after a brief illness took welfare of workers of the corporation as a priority, the Managing Director of the NRC, Engr. Fidet Okhiria has said.

He spoke on Thursday during the eighth day Fidau (final prayers) organized by the NRC for the deceased chairman.

According to Okhiria, the late chairman specifically advocated for enhanced salaries for staff of the corporation.

In honour of the deceased chairman, the MD said the management of the corporation, working with the Ministry of Transportation, would work towards the actualization of enhanced salary structure for railway workers.

The MD was particularly emotional that the chairman would not witness the completion of the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge project which he said the deceased was passionate about.

He noted that the late chairman chaired various committees set up to evaluate several encumbrances to the project and he had proffered solutions.

Further extoling the deceased, he described him as an astute professional who was very humble and lived a life of fulfillment, saying he would be sorely missed.

The Deputy Chief Imam Nigerian Railway Muslim Community, Ustaz Maruf Owolabi Ahmad who presided over the Fidau urged those present to see the death of the former chairman as a lesson as such fate would befall each and every one of them one day.

But he reminded all and sundry to strive to contribute to the development of their immediate communities and the nation.

“We were all created from dust, we would be resurrected, death is inevitable; you can’t run away from it. We are going to become history one day but you need to ask yourself, what is my contribution to the development of the nation?” he said.

In attendance were former MD of the NRC, Mr. J.C Nwankwo, Railway District Manager, Lagos district, Engr. Jerry Oche and other management officials of NRC.