President Goodluck for years has display a symbol of bravery, courage, honour, pride, determination and grace. What makes this man so important in this democratic dispensation and also symbolic in the history of this great nation to humanity is the characteristic of him being a strong and visionary leader. Does this characteristic ring a bell in your mind? We are sure it does. The Eagle

The Eagles, for centuries, these seemingly larger-than-life birds have fascinated and inspired us with brilliant leadership characteristics. When eagles come to mind, people commonly imagine some enormous hunter soaring above wide-open spaces on outsized wings. Indeed, eagles are among the world’s largest birds of prey. We venerate them as living symbols of power, freedom, and transcendence.

President Goodluck Jonathan is a man with an eagle eyes, he has great vision for this great country called ‘Nigeria’. Let say for facts that we have witness tremendous transformation in the last six years of his administration ranging from different sectors of the economy. This is a leader who has withstood the test of times amidst criticisms, challenges and above of all, conquering and coming out victorious in the last election polls against one of the most vocal opposition group in the country.

We cannot stand against a visionary leader at this year’s election; we will come out en masse to vote for President Goodluck Jonathan on March 28th, 2015 to allow this transformation phase in the history of this great nation to continue rather than embracing ‘CHANGE’ coming from some aggrieved sections of people we do not trust in. Eagles have strong vision, so does our president. The Libyans believed in change that last came to them but they couldn’t handle it, we cannot allow such to happen to our beloved Nigeria.

Challenges in the life of a leader are many. There are many storm a leader must face to rise to greater heights; President Goodluck has faced all these challenges in recent times in the wake of the boko haram insurgent, which have been brought down to the barest minimal. What is more astonishing with this man is his ability to really connect to the younger generation and he never stop taking up challenges, also empowering and directing the people of this great nation.

Late Dr. Myles Munroe once said that ‘Pigeons scavenge on the ground and grumble and complain all day long. Eagles are not. They fly and make less noise waiting for opportunities to strike their next prey or glide with the current of the storm’. Great leaders are problem solvers. They don’t complain like the pigeons do. They love to take challenges as the eagle does when the storm comes. Let’s give credit to President Goodluck Jonathan and vote for the continuity of transformation agenda that is already in motion. Vote GEJ, vote PDP. follow @noitcidartnoc01 and join bbm channel C00294CFE.

General Muhammadu Buhari, the former military head of state and presidential candidate of the opposition APC party has a reputation in Nigeria as a no-nonsense hard man earned during his hardline 20-month military government rule from 1984 to 1985. Some feel it’s the kind of leadership, fused with integrity, needed to curb what many Nigerians see as the excessive corrupt practices of the present regime.

So with Buhari soaring in the polls in the run-up to the original elections date of February 14, his rivals (mainly working for president Goodluck Jonathan) made a major change to stop reminding Nigerians Buhari was a “ruthless ex-dictator” which has an underlying implication of strength. The strategy in the last four to six weeks has focused on painting Buhari as a weak leader.

Strategists have tried to change the Buhari narrative with a mix of trivial distractions and dog whistles on sensitive issues. These issues have been defended and rebutted by Buhari’s team but the more they were discussed, the more traction they gained. Some of the ‘switch the narrative’ tactics will not be unfamiliar to close watchers of U.S. politics and there may be a good reason for that. According to Politico, both sides have at different times recruited U.S. political consultants including former Obama campaign manager David Axelrod’s AKPD and former Howard Dean campaign manager Joseph Trippi of The Potomac Square Group.

Here are four examples of a change in the core political discussions.
Raise questions about his educational qualifications

Early this year, there was a huge uproar over whether Buhari was qualified to be head of state because he was unable to readily produce his high school diploma, earned 50 years earlier. It was remarkable, given he had already previously run the country and and risen to the rank of major general in the Nigerian army which requires post-graduate level of training. It was a smart move. Nigerians are huge believers in the value of education, particularly in the south, where Buhari needs to win over voters in addition to his northern stronghold. Nigerians can be said to be obsessed with academic qualifications and professional titles. This is why the school certificate story still resonates with Nigerians. The fact president Jonathan is a PhD holder makes him more qualified and a better president in the eyes of many Nigerians, especially southerners.
Make suggestions about his health

Questions over Buhari’s health recently become a subject of ongoing interest. Rumors started to do the rounds that he is suffering from prostate cancer some weeks ago. It was for this reason, claim the whispers, that he arranged a UK medical visit to coincide with his speaking engagement at Chatham House in London. ‘‘The rumour that he is suffering from prostrate cancer is exceptionally worrying and it is incumbent upon each and everyone of us to pray for him if this rumour is true.’’ This was how Femi Fani-Kayode, publicity chief of Jonathan’s PDP party campaign team put it. The controversial Ekiti State governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose placed a provocative advert in major newspapers across Nigeria suggesting Buhari could be close to death by invoking memories of the president before last,Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who died in office in 2010 from a mysterious illness hidden from Nigerians
Is he too old?

Diction is one thing, being coherent is another. A majority of Nigerians, especially from the south have latched on to Buhari’s stuttering speech delivery and forgetfulness during interviews and on the campaign trail. It backs up the idea that at 72 he is now too old to run a country where 60% of the population is under 30. It can’t be denied that Buhari has exacerbated his own verbal faux pas in recent times.
Remember Sharia Law?

Buhari should have a slight advantage being a pragmatic Muslim northerner at a time when there’s an insurgency from Islamic terrorists in Nigeria’s north. The thinking is that he would have more empathy with his fellow northerners and focus more resources on ending the problem and the root causes of the problem such as poverty and education. Instead his opponents have systematically turned it into a disadvantage claiming he is himself a ‘fundamentalist’ tool of Islamists and it’s one he’s found difficult to shake off. It is claimed Buhari was in support of spreading Sharia islamic law throughout the federation an accusation he is fed-up with deflecting. PDP members have questioned why he, Buhari, was picked by Boko Haram as part of the team to have talks with the government of Nigeria in Saudi Arabia. The tensions are such that, while president Jonathan, a Christian, is regularly photographed praying in churches on his campaign trail, Buhari has avoided being photographed at mosques.

na him sweet pass. i will vote for GEJ

It is with outright and out of proportioned disappointments that I call on well meaning Nigerians to ask the APC and its Presidential Flag bearer why they have always played to the gallery over sensitive issues. It is most regrettable that the said issues are of supreme importance to the build up to the election. How can a man who claims to be the face of ‘change’ fail to make appearance in the presidential debate which is a veritable platform to martial out ones program for the country? It appears to me that this is outright pride and a clear demonstration of down look on the Nigerian electorates. So long as good conscience and keen sense of reasoning is concerned, the APC and its candidate committed democratic fraud and owes the Nigerian voters profuse apology especially as that singular act eluded Nigerians the right to know whether GMB is intellectually sound and fit. Although it is becoming as crystal as ever that GMB is not just physically unfit to govern Nigeria again but mentally incapable, and for well meaning Nigerians, it would be a fatal error to place governance on his shoulders as that may likely collapse, giving room for hawks in the APC to pillage the resources of this country and possibly take us to the route of anarchy just as one of their own (Deputy Governor of Rivers) who just left them has well described them as anarchist and insurgents robed in deceit.
Further, how can a man who wants to govern a great nation like Nigeria, that is characterized with intelligentias and intellectuals of different backgrounds fail to prove that he is a holder of ordinary WAEC? For me, it is highly regrettable. Nigerians should stand and ask him for his SSCE because he is no sacred cow who can circumvent our supposed revered constitution which stipulates that before becoming the First Man in the Nation or rather occupier of the office of the President, you must at least have a WAEC result. It would be a shame in the eyes of the international community that the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria cannot boast of an ordinary WAEC should Nigerians allow the APC to deceitfully have their way. But I can assure you that that will never happen as Nigerians are wiser.
To buttress further of GMB’s imminent failure at the poll, is the purported agreement of the APC and its presidential candidate with the Western Countries to sign into law the abominable gay right. This clearly demonstrate how desperate the APC are in their bid to gain favour from the West just to secure Aso Rock, but they have failed woefully as the West has no place in the decision making of our electoral system as Nigeria is an independent nation whose sovereignty remains sacrosanct.
Finally, there are other sundry failures and inadequacies traceable to General Buhari as his claims of making a naira equal to a dollar is unfounded as the power to do so does not solely rest with the Nigerian government because international financial institutions are involved. Also age is not on his side either. GMB should therefore avoid this impending international disgrace at the poll by stepping aside before the election for a younger, energetic and mentally fit Nigerian to continue and consolidate on the good work already on ground. It is therefore incumbent on GMB to apologize to Nigerians of his hate speeches in previous elections that cost so many lives of Nigerians and honorably retire from active politics as that will place him on the pedestal of a revered statesman who places Nigerian interest above any other, be it party or sectional. Vote GEJ

[/b][b][b][/b]

It is crystal clear that the noise and nuisance disposition of the APC in the polity has abated as it has dawn on them that President Goodluck will disgrace them at the poll. In fact some of their party stalwarts were noticed where they were discussing imminent defeat as their strategy of ‘change mantra’ has been questioned by Nigerians given the fact that they have failed to tell Nigerians the avenue as to which to attain the said ‘change’. And in a case where their is an avenue, the big question is from what change to what? Because the change could be from good to bad especially as APC has a representation of ‘Hawks and Emperors’ capable of subjecting the entire country to their private estate and make Nigerians slaves in their own father land. This claim could be buttress from the way and manner the leaders of APC are courting with some foreign blocs just to dislodge the sitting government which invariably means imperialism is looming should these hawks find their way to Aso Rock. That shows desperation and one would not be mistaken if he terms these hawks ‘desperadoes’.
But unfortunately for them, the Nigerian electorate have resolved to vote enmass for President Goodluck whose character is an epitome of humility, service without desperation, dedication, commitment and compassion. A man who sees his political ambition as something that does not worth the blood of any Nigerian. Nigerians’ resolution did not come as a surprise as the man in question is a quintessential transformer, the finest statesman in the annals of Nigerian history and a Pan-Africanist par excellence.
President Goodluck has demonstrated his astuteness and administrative sagacity especially in the way and manner in which he has steered the affairs of this country. If one must know, Nigeria is one of the most difficult countries to govern as its diversity speaks volume. But the most interesting thing to note is that the unity in diversity is the greatest strength of any Nation State. President Goodluck’s administration has been able to harness the opportunities in this diversity.
Today, the Nigerian project and unity still remains sacrosanct even as Nigeria has overtaken South Africa to become the driver of African economy. A feat that has never been attained under previous administrations. So it baffles me each time the APC as a party boast of winning the election. How many are they? What are they made up of? How rich is their manifesto and blue print? As far as Nigerians are concerned, they are all without any atom of sophistication.
It is premised on the above adumbrated facts, that it is an incontestable fact that President Goodluck is being returned elected even as all the opinion polls conducted by reputable organisations locally and international puts President Goodluck ahead of Gen. Buhari.

APC AND THEIR DANGERS

They keep coming and telling Nigerians they want CHANGE. And their loopholes are so deep that if one enters he will be there forever. I don’t think any Nigerian will want to be kept in a ditch. APC members are so aggressive and not productive. Why is it that everything about them is violent. They are always angry. We don’t want angry people as rulers in our democracy.
Democracy, which means “FREEDOM OF SPEECH” and if that freedom is no more, what then are we, NEW SLAVES? The colonial masters have come and they have done their wrongs in our country. We don’t want to be slaves to no one, not in our own land where we were born, we want continuity of the freedom we have been enjoying. We want to be free. Freedom is the best thing any individual ever wished for. That is what I wish for, I don’t know about you.
Let’s take a deep breath and feel the FRESH AIR President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan promised from the beginning which we are receiving now. The FRESH AIR we received in terms of Good Electricity, Good Education, Good Road, Good Agricultural System, Good Health Care etc. In all spheres has President Goodluck Jonathan touched lives and he still touching.
All he want now is the TRANSFORMATION of the FRESH AIR, which he promised and have fulfilled them. TRANSFORMATION, to continue what he has started to a conclusion.
Have it in mind that Goodluck is never about violence. He has always been about the good will of every Nigerian to be able to speak for themselves. It is natural that critics abound. Critics are actually good, they help you know where to put your step and help you grow. Thanks to the APC members on that! We thank them! Their critics has made President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan know his steps and he is working towards a TRANSFORMATION. Don’t you want to be part of that TRANSFORMATION which he promised?
Vote GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN! Vote for TRANSFORMATION! Vote for CONTINUITY!

Good Job!! Nigerians are talented.

"Buhari might be a good man and all that, but to claim PTF left a tangible footprint in the South East is downright disingenuous. I challenge anyone who doubts me to travel to South East and point to tangible physical evidence of PTF projects there. 1999 isn't that too far off. We accuse Ngozi Okonjo Iweala of the same. The statistics being bandied around about "PTF spend in the South East" is not supported by physical evidence"
It is a known fact that PTF Projects while Buhari was Chairman, were mostly in the North leaving out the South. But they want you to believe that ethnicity plays no role in Nigerian politics and the economic future of a region does not depend on the benevolence of whoever is in power. History can speak for itself. For instance, I've had presidents and Vice Presidents who chose to build their own hard-to-afford universities with Nigeria's resources. OBJ and Atiku(the sudden class captain of change) to be precise and today sits a president who built government foundational schools and affordable universities in the North to encourage western education and exposure in the north. Thereby reducing the chances of these children growing into extremists. And I'm expected to believe the worst of him? When I've been led by worse.
You want me to dwell on missing 20 billion dollars(which isn't missing after all) like the money was available to the common man before this administration. Meanwhile I was in this Nigeria when 315 million pounds was moved to the Chanel Islands by one man and I didn't know. Nigeria did not cough.
You want the common man to count the trains, the e-wallets system, the new international airport in the South East, the roads, YOUWIN programme etc as nothing meanwhile before these administration, these things were not available to them.
You want me to me vote out a "corrupt" president for an "incorruptible" former head of state who is surrounded by the same people who drove Nigeria to where she is today. You want me to vote in an "incorruptible" former head of state who swore an affidavit under "assumptions".
Abi Jonathan went to bribe the WAEC office in Ghana to lie that they cannot find his certificate? A very poor former head of state whose wife has 135million to donate to IDPs yet waited till the elections were in the corner before she made her donation. And her husband "took loan from a bank" to purchase his presidential form. Lies, lies and more lies. What type of change is this? Change in ruling party?
Am I saying that the errors of this administration are acceptable? Emphatically No. Am I saying that giving my vote to the opposition is surely giving my vote to another 8 years of deception? Yes I am!!
Someone with no provenance of participation in our democracy surrounded by people with provenance of massive corruption cannot be the change or the hope for a better Nigeria.
Let's Support And Vote President Goodluck And His Transformation.

UNBUNDLE THE NIGERIA RAIL SYSTEM MYSTERY
Moyosore Okeyode and Vincent O. Yakubu

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE NIGERIAN RAILWAY SYSTEM
The Nigerian Railway Corporation traces its history to the year 1898, when the first railroad in Nigeria was constructed by the British colonial government. On October 3, 1912 the Lagos Government Railway and the Baro-Kano Railway were amalgamated, starting nationwide rail service under the name Government Department of Railways. With the passing of the Nigerian Railway Corporation Act of 1955, the company gained its current name as well as the exclusive legal right to construct and operate rail service in Nigeria. The rail network reached its maximum extent shortly after Nigerian independence, in 1964. Shortly after that, the NRC entered a long period of decline, inept management, and eventually a complete lack of maintenance of rail and locomotive assets. In 1988, NRC declared bankruptcy, and all rail traffic stopped for six months. After that, trains resumed, where the tracks were usable. By 2002, passenger service was again discontinued altogether. Starting in 2006, plans were made to restore the rail lines and add new locomotives with foreign assistance. In December 2012 regular, scheduled passenger service was restored on the Lagos to Kano line.

SOME OF THE OPERATIONS OF THE NIGERIAN RAIL SYSTEM
Nigerian Railway Corporation operates a network of 3,505 kilometers (2,178 mi) of single track lines, all have 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge. The network comprises the following lines:
• Lagos - Agege - Ifaw - Ibadan - Ilorin - Minna - Kaduna - Zaria - Kano, 1,126 kilometers (700 mi)
• Ifaw - Ilaro, 20 kilometers (12 mi)
• Minna - Baro, 155 kilometers (96 mi)
• Zaria - Kaura Namoda, 245 kilometers (152 mi)
• Kano - Nguru
• Kaduna - Kafanchan - Kuru - Bauchi - Maiduguri, 885 kilometers (550 mi)
• Kuru - Jos, 55 kilometers (34 mi)
• Kafanchan - Makurdi - Enugu - Port Harcourt, 737 kilometers (458 mi)
• Port Harcourt - Onne - gauge convertible sleepers.

There are a few extensions of the 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge network planned, but none of these have ever materialized since 1980, from Gusau on the branch to Kaura Namoda to Sokoto, 215 kilometers (134 mi), from Kano to Katsina, 175 kilometers (109 mi), and from Lagos to Asaba.
In the centre of the country a 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) gauge (standard gauge) network is very slowly progressing, its main line extends over 217 kilometers (135 mi) from Oturkpo to the Ajaokuta steelwork. A further 51.2 kilometers (31.8 mi) line of standard gauge is operational between the Itakp mines and the Ajaokuta steelworks. There are plans to add more standard gauge lines to these ones: Ajaokuta to Abuja and Ajaokuta to the Port of Warri, together 500 kilometers (310 mi) and from Port Harcourt to Makurdi over a distance of 463 kilometers (288 mi).

In the past the 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge Bauchi Light Railway operated between Zaria and Jos over a distance of 184 kilometers (114 mi), this line was partially converted to 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) in 1927 while the remainder closed in 1957.
All these trains offer relatively new rolling-stock consisting of Couchette-type sleepers, air-conditioned first class sitting coaches and non-air conditioned economy class coaches. Trains to/from Lagos also offer buffet cars. Between Lagos and Ifaw, a distance of 48 kilometers (30 mi), a local service operates on working days on behalf of the city of Lagos.

All trains are diesel locomotive operated. The railways owns theoretically nearly 200 locomotives, of which up to 75% are not operational, there are also about 54 shunters, 480 passenger coaches and over 4900 freight wagons, less than 50% of the coaches and wagons are in serviceable conditions.

At all 576 kilometers (358 mi) of main lines are controlled by panel interlocking and token less block. Rail tracks are mainly of the 29.8 kg/m (60 lb/yd), 34.7 kg/m (70 lb/yd) and 39.7 kg/m (80 lb/yd) types fixed by Pandrol K Type fastenings on steel sleepers (cross ties).
No trains have run on the Gusau branch since a bridge collapsed in Tsafe in 2002.[4]

In February 2011, it was announced that construction was about to start on the Abuja - Kaduna railway.

























MAP SHOWING THE RAILWAY EXTENSION AND DEVELOPMENT
REVAMPING THE NIGERIAN RAIL SYSTEM UNDER THE PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN
The Federal Government on Monday in Lagos reiterated its commitment to boost rail transportation with a promise to provide more infrastructure.

President Goodluck Jonathan disclosed this during the official inauguration of two Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs) train sets and six air-conditioned passenger coaches at the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) Terminus.

Mr. Jonathan, who was represented by Vice-President Namadi Sambo, said the Federal Government had commenced the implementation of a 25-year transport sector development plan across the nation.

“This is part of the concerted efforts of our administration to steadily improve the railway rolling stock. It is the beginning. Within the next few months, more rolling stocks will be delivered.

“My presence here today is to further show the full resolve of this administration to bring Nigeria at par with modern railway services available globally by constantly upgrading our rolling stock.

“The ongoing railway rehabilitation will continue because of adequate funding from regular budget and SURE-P intervention,” Mr. Jonathan said.

The president said: “The step is aimed at resuscitating and revitalising Nigerian railway which had suffered neglect for decades.”

He said that the strategic transformation project included the rehabilitation of the existing narrow gauge, the construction of new standard gauge rail line and maintenance.

“With the support of the Senate Committee on Land Transport, the House of Representatives Committee on Land Transport and the efforts of the NRC management, the goal will be realised,” he said.

Also speaking, the Minister of Transport, Idris Umar, said most of the rail transport projects across the country would be completed by the end of the year.

“I wish to assure the President, the Vice-President and all Nigerians of our determination to ensure the completion of ongoing railway projects across the country,” he said.

Mr. Umar commended the Federal Government for its commitment and support in executing the railway projects in the country.

In his address, Bamanga Tukur, the Chairman, NRC Board of Directors, attributed the economic development of any nation to the effective and functional operation of the rail system.

“The survival and indeed the extent of development of any economy depend very significantly on the extent of development and efficiency of its transportation system.
“Our intention is to improve on the infrastructure of the NRC to ensure it increases passengers and freight movements,” he said.

Mr. Tukur said the Board of the NRC would continue to provide the desired policy to ensure affordable, safe, and value-added rail transport.

In his remarks, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State said new trains and coaches would improve the transport system in the state for the benefits of all residents.

Mr. Fashola, who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, said the state needed rail infrastructure for its teeming population.

“It is a very welcome development to our nation, Nigeria and to the Centre of Excellence, Lagos State. No doubt, we require this infrastructure.

“We appreciate it and we will continue to give every moral support that the corporation requires as we now have complementary services in the transport system of Lagos State,” the governor said.

The Managing Director of NRC, Adeseyi Sijuwade, said the significant part of the Eastern Line rehabilitation would be completed by the third quarter of 2014.

“The corporation would continue to pursue its vision, mission, and core values to attain its mandate of carriage of passengers and goods in a manner that is safe, reliable and affordable.”
Each of the new coaches has passenger capacity of 68 seats and 108 standing.

Passengers who have embraced rail transport have opined that not less than one million coaches will be needed to sustain railway service across the country. This is understandable. With about five million passengers who travelled by rail in 2013 and 80 percent increase from 2009 in the operation of the weekly express passengers train from Lagos to Kano and Offa to Kano as well as the 16 daily mass transit train trips in Lagos metropolis, the burden and other ugly incidents on the roads in the areas connected by the western rail line seem to have subsided. Again, taking delivery of the first set of modern coaches comprising of six coaches for long distances and six air-conditioned diesel multiple units (DMU) mass transit trains for short distances, the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has set all machinery in motion to phase out old coaches and give the Nigerians a modern train service as it is obtainable in the developed world. The corporation imported 40 new oil tanks wagons to which it has lifted petroleum products and has equally hauled 500,000 tonnes of wheat, cement, laterite and other heavy cargo nationwide.

TRUE STATE OF THINGS
In a bid to ascertain the true state of things THISDAY embarked on a journey to Kano from Lagos. Mission: To verify first hand how effectively the train service works, and how far NRC has gone in to utilise the fund set aside by the federal government to better the lives of Nigerians through its operations. From the findings on the ground, it was evident that the corporation determination to right the wrongs of the past has started paying off. It was clear that NRC was desirous of providing a safe, comfortable and affordable means of transportation for Nigerians by rail. The effort to make the rail transport service the choicest means of transport by the federal government was noticed starting from the boarding point at the Lagos terminus, as the railway workers endeavoured to make passengers comfortable.

At the departure hall, male and female attendants dressed in green shirts and a pair of trousers was selling tickets to the passengers in the long queue. There was sense of orderliness. Unlike most public booking centres where passengers are usually cramped, jostling for space, this was not the case. The old system where touts used to hijacked the sales of tickets was no longer the case. The ticket centre at Iddo terminus was relatively conducive and organised. In the departure hall, goods/luggage handlers meticulously conveyed passenger wares to the railway yard, eventually into the goods and passengers coaches. In the hall, there was team of security agents, strategically positioned to ensure security and safety of the passengers and their goods/luggage.
THISDAY gathered that the security measure put in place was impressive, as security guards were seen parading in the yard to ensure safety of passengers and their luggage.
Some of the passengers who spoke to THISDAY said the efforts of the NRC to give Nigerians better railway transport system were laudable.

Muyideen Ganiyu, a passenger on the first class cabin who boarded the train from Lagos to Ilorin at the Iddo railway terminus for the first time, said for many years he had been travelling by road transport because he never thought the train service existed in Nigeria. According to him, he has been abroad for many years. But today I have every cause to be happy for my country, for the achievement we have recorded in this sector, and I have vowed never to stop travelling by train. When asked why he preferred the rail as an alternative mean of transportation, he highlighted numerous reasons such as improvement in the coaches, low transportation cost and safety of lives and luggage among others.

“I used to hear that the coaches are like bin can, which is not the best way to encourage the management of railway to do more. There has been a remarkable improvement in the coaches. With what I have seen, the NRC has improved but they still need to continue to build on recorded progress, “in fact with what I have seen so far, I’m satisfied with the ride. It is less expensive and safer than road transport though safety is of the Lord. I would also like to advise the management of the NRC should purchase more new coaches because this would help as the Nigerians, from what I saw at the ticket office, have settled for train system of transportation. Also, this would generate more revenues for the government”, he said.

MORE PATRONAGE
Not a few have called for more patronage to ensure the sustainability of the railway system in the country. In fact, many have averred that sustaining the present tempo in the railway transport will entail patronizing it by those who are yet to do so. Passengers who are satisfied with the service should encourage others to use it. This is one of the veritable means of boosting the service. A Lagos base businessman, Mr. Gideon Nwachukwu told THISDAY that from his experience, the train operation has been successful, and from all indications, the passengers are satisfied with the services rendered by the NRC. He called on Nigerians to patronise the train service because as he put it: “It is now functioning and running efficiently”.
Apparently satisfied with this experience on the train, Nwachukwu said: “As far as I am concerned, the train movement has been a successful. My business partners have been telling me but I did not believed it until I used it. My partners are satisfied with the train service. Aside from the fact that it is very cheap, it is also comfortable. I want Nigerians to know that the train services are now working and we move on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.”

SECURITY
In a country where the issue of security is a serious concern, safety of lives and property has been given top priority. NRC told THISDAY it has ensured its security personnel flooded the coaches making sure the passengers and their luggage were safe and secure. The train ride to Kano was an opportunity to confirm if actually there was evidence of high sense of security for passengers and goods onboard the train, despite the large number of passengers onboard. The security agents onboard were practically restless, making sure no internal or external breach of security on the train. When the train arrived at Offa in Kwara State at 6:27 p.m., the head of the security agents onboard, Mr. Victor Ezeko, explained that railway police command was always in charged with the duty of protecting lives and property of people onboard, and therefore, must strive at all cost to accomplish this lofty task.

His words: “It has always been this way. Our sole aim here is to protect lives and property. Another objective we carry out here is to caution any person who fails to buy ticket and jump into the train. I want to assure you that from Lagos to Kano will be hitch free. There will be no security challenge because all the security personnel onboard are always at alert. We are not considering the low income of security agents, instead we do our job to ensure security of lives and I want to assure Nigerians that the railway transport is very safe and your safety onboard is assured”.

Managing Director of NRC, Mr. Adeseyi Sijuwade explained that there is no cause for alarm as everything has been to make the trains well secure and safe.

Continuing, Sijuwade, a civil engineer said: “We have made arrangement for adequate security on our trains. We intend to keep this up and continue to improve on it. We have armed policemen, the personnel of the Man O War, officers of the Nigerian Railway Police Command. They are to monitor passengers’ behaviour from the originating point in Lagos throughout the journey. We are taking the issue of security seriously and will ensure the measure we have devised is sustained”.

A National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Mr. Damilola Sunday, who was onboard the train applauded the high sense of security in each of the coaches saying though the train transportation system is not as fast air transport, railway transport is safe and quite affordable, and as a youth corps member with meagre financial budget, he would want this to continue. I use to be afraid travelling in my NYSC attire on the road, but on the train, I feel very safe.
According to him, I would like to say that the train is very safe for travelling, though it was slower a bit that the road means of transport, I do not consider the slow nature. I am satisfied because it helped save cost and it is safe as well.




MORE COACHES
Not a few stakeholders have argued that if the present demand for railway transport continues, it is imperative the federal government and NRC embark on the provision of more coaches. They said this should be in addition to the refurbishing of the existing ones to meet the present and future demands. According to one passenger, Mabel Durojaiye, I would like to suggest to the management of NRC to embark on complete refurbishing of the coaches and provide more cabins to commiserate the high number of people who wants the train as their only means of transportation as well as make it customer-friendly and conducive for people to use. I want to appreciate President Goodluck Jonathan. I think it started from President Yar’Adua’s administration, and the management of the corporation for bringing the train back to the track. I am indeed impressed. However, there is need to have more modern coaches.

Durojaiye who is a businesswoman in Ibadan said she was not really happy with the situation in the train as she said with the high patronage which she observed for the train service, it is demeaning to provide just hundred of coaches for 160 million Nigeria population. She demanded that NRC provided for one million coaches for its service as Nigerians have already abandoned other forms of transport for the railway transport.

Recounting her experience on the trin ride she said: “My experience in the train from Lagos is not fantastic because I stood from Ibadan to Ede before sitting and I have a seven year-old boy and the ticketing officers said I have to pay half ticket which I did and if there was no way to carry him, he would have stood as well.

“I stood not because I wanted to stand, but because the rush for the train is so high that even a million coaches won’t be enough for the number of willing passengers per day so they should improve in terms of providing more coaches. Let me quickly point out here that if they observe that all the seats have been sold, they should not sell more tickets. Instead, more coaches should be bought to contain the passengers not carrying above the limits.

Another passenger, Patience Yakubu who alighted at Offa, Kwarra States said the train was now faster than I thought unlike before when it was used to spend longer time travelling. According to her, it is a bit faster and comfortable. I want the government to increase the number of first class coaches, because from what I see today, the preference is very high. The economic class coaches carry more passengers; therefore, NRC management should consider procuring more cabins to avoid it being stuffy and make it convenient for the passengers.

BLACK EXCELLENCE

We could aim at achieving a lot from the very beginning, where we gather all our thoughts and visions on the true path to excellence. Excellence comes from the mind and it is not just a thought that sprinkle in one day. First an initiation has to be taken, to initiate and make proper planning. This planning might require a form of a team to execute this excellence. A team that will make a decision to work through the thought of the visionary who is the leader of the team.

If peradventure this team slipped by one member who probably have a diverted mindset, there will be trouble and chaos between them. It is positive if every member of a team have the same set goal to achieving the set aim provided by the leader of the team.

Nigeria Excellence which President Goodluck Jonathan has had the initiative from the beginning to bring a lot of things afore which some limitations by the people around him have caused a slow motion for its implementation. GEJ Vision to make a beautiful achievement in this country was delayed till this day that is why all the aims that are supposed to have been achieved just surfacing. So many setbacks from the few members who believe their belly is big enough to fit in all the funds that are supposed to be for the country Nigeria.

Black Excellence, Africa Excellence, and Nigeria Excellence can be achieve if the people of Nigeria can look at the mindset of a man, who is a minor and has made history and whose vision has carried a lot of Nigerians to the very height and has transformed a lot in our beautiful country. If continuity can be given consideration to, I believe Nigeria can never be a setback to the former us but rather we will be a perpetual transformation to the future. A future when look back we won’t regret embracing continuity.

Let’s embrace Black Excellence and Vote GEJ has the President of Nigeria to continue the good work he has started and finish up with a perfect conclusion. #GEJVision follow @pdpmediaroom247 and go like our page https://www.facebook.com/pages/PDP-Media-Room-247/806279582778326

Goodluck Jonathan has so many great strides in all facets that we have been screened from by Tinubu and Amaechi's press power and the many lies we have focused on like 20 billion missing. They have obfuscated with Chibok Girls and the like that we do not see that GOODLUCK JONATHAN has done so much we can be proud of as a nation....LIKE AN 18 YEARS OLD PILOT.
We also found out that a girl who only just got youwin grant has so gone far in her clothes design that she has been invited to showcase her sewing and designing ability in London.

While Buhari refused to build a primary school, GEJ is training PILOTS.
While Buhari failed to build a single secondary school, GEJ has built or building 14 new universities.

While Buhari failed to build any university, GEJ is sending 100s of lecturers abroad to study so they can return and teach our kids "oyibo things" like DNA of apple. Like auto-immunity etc etc.

Goodluck Jonathan is a Ph.D and I can assure you that someone with a PhD cannot operate on the same wavelength as someone who did not even seat for WASCE.

It is preposterous and a travesty that beggars belief that anyone would place Buhari beside GEJ and say he prefers Buhari. Those are the type of mistakes that movies like "the Fall Of.... eg ROMAN EMPIRE or BENIN KINGDOM etc are made of.

Vote Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and Sambo to continue to empower the minds and make more young people PILOTS and DOCTORS and ENGINEERS and in fact ASTRONAUTS and not BOKO HARAM and those who spill THE BLOOD OF DOGS AND BABOONS. This pilot will not spill BLOOD OF DOGS AND BABOONS nor destroy billboards, nor stone a passing president. Follow @pdpmediaroom24/7

VOTE GOODLUCK JONATHAN, HE IS THE TRUE PROGRESSIVE PRESIDENT

This is the transformation of President Goodluck Jonathan in the different geo-polityical zones in Nigeria for the past six years, please follow @pdpmediaroom24/7 on twitter and like the page on facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/PDP-Media-Room-247/806279582778326.

This is the transformation of President Goodluck Jonathan in the different geo-polityical zones in Nigeria for the past six years, please follow @pdpmediaroom24/7 on twitter and like the page on facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/PDP-Media-Room-247/806279582778326.

The popular saying that you don't know the worth of what you have until you lose it is typically the case of Libyans.Following the start of the Arab Spring in 2011, on 17 February 2011, major protests broke out against the Gaddafi's government.
Four years later, Libya is yet to find the change and peace they were promised if they killed Gaddafi.
....and finally they killed Gaddafi. They were so gullible and naived to be deceived.All they chanted for and wanted was change by any means. Change of government? Yes they got it.
Today, they are some of the most sorrowful and griefed people on earth. Where is the peace and change they were promised?
They are regretting their actions per second, and wishing Gaddafi could wake up now.We don't have to be too desperate as Nigerian and enter into bondage and APC trap.
All change no be change. Weigh the quality of change you want before you clamor your support for it.
Nigerians Think!!! Ponder on the Kind of Change you want before you join the CHANGE bandwagons to avoid seeing SHAME.
Let's Support Goodluck Jonathan.

This is a good write up, undiluted and un-biased. it's a good one Mr. Abdul Kudu.