Abuja-Kaduna railway: NIN now compulsory for ticketing- FG

The Federal government has announced the mandatory use of National Identification Number (NIN) for purchase of train tickets.

Minister of Transportation, Engr. Muazu Sambo, who disclosed this on Sunday in Kaduna during an inspection tour of the railway line and stations from Abuja to Kaduna to ascertain the level of security provided in readiness for the commencement of train service said adults will be allowed to use their NIN to register for not more than four minors, adding that the measure would take care of ticket racketeering.

The Minister who expressed satisfaction with the security measures put in place along the Abuja- Kaduna train route after being shut down for eight months following attack by terrorists expressed confidence that the measures put in place is adequate enough for the train service to commence operation.

“There are sensitive equipment which we have deployed that I will not reveal. The other thing I can tell you is that for every journey, the train is monitored every second on the screen.

“The train driver can see from a distance if there are any threats on the track that will enable him to match the break long before getting to the threat, and that is why I am telling you confidently,” he said.

The Minister debunked the rumour that train services will resume on Monday, adding that the newly introduced measures will delay the resumption of business along the corridor for a few more days for passengers to get acquainted with the new protocol involved in train boarding before it will resume services.

He said, “We have not said that train services will start tomorrow (today). I want to be very categorical about that.

“Now, we have introduced a new system before you buy a ticket. The purchase of a ticket requires you to provide a phone number and a National Identification Number (NIN) in order to profile you because that is the beginning of the security checks. So, at any point in time when a train moves from one station to another, we know who and who are on board.

“If you don’t have a NIN you are not going to board our train, it is as simple as that. If you are a minor, an adult will register for you and an adult can only register for not more than four minors.

“Now, we want to give sufficient time for the Nigerian public to listen to these two requirements, to assimilate this new system. So, if you go and start tomorrow, a lot of people will be disgruntled. Why didn’t they tell us that this is a new way of doing it? Why didn’t they give us adequate time to do it? So, we want to give you adequate time. Definitely between three to five days, certainly not more than a week.”

Sambo noted that the trains will not travel at night for now just as he revealed that there would be a review on train fares.

“I can assure you that we are a very sensitive government and we will consider the masses in the review of the train fare.

“We’ll be monitoring it on a daily basis and improving wherever we find some snags.

“The ticketing called e-ticketing has already been contracted to a company called secure ID. That concession has gone through the entire concession process under extant laws, including approval by the Federal Executive Council. So that concession remains in place for the duration of the concession period, which I think is 10 years”.

Sambo said that although only God can guarantee maximum security, he assured Nigerians that everything is in place to guarantee a secured and smooth train ride.