Nigeria’s Cabinet has approved a 900 million Naira E-ticketing agreement with a private company for a Secure Automated Fare Collection Solution for the Railway Corporation.
Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, stated this while briefing State House correspondents after Wednesday’s meeting of the Federal Executive Council presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Amaechi said that the agreement, which would be on a public-private partnership basis, would have the company, SECURE IB, spend the sum of N900m for the E-ticketing project and receive 20% of the revenue that would accrue from the project.
The minister said; ”the E-Ticketing would replace ticket racketeering, touting, corruption, among others.”
Nigeria’s railway rehabilitation programme has led to increased activities in the rail system and with the full commencement of the Abuja-Kaduna railway, many travellers prefer the train.
It is also expected that the Lagos-Ibadan railway would commence full operations even as the government plans to begin the reconstruction of the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri railways.
Report says with this development, getting tickets for train travels has become increasingly difficult because of the high demand for it, leading to the activities of middlemen and touts.
It is hoped that with the introduction of the E-ticketing system, the difficulties encountered by travellers in getting their tickets will be eliminated.
Source: VON
