One week after a passenger train crushed Mrs. Selimota Idowu, a principal accountant with the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) in Abuja to death, no government official visited the family to console them over the loss.
The accident occurred at a railway crossing in Chikakore, Kubwa, a suburb of Abuja when Selimota’s car got stuck in the middle of the rail line, resulting in the train ramming into it.
SaharaReporters can authoritatively report that no government officials including the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mallam Muhammad Bello; Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Jaji Sambo and Managing Director of Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), Engr. Fidet Edentalen Okhiria, have visited the bereaved family of the deceased or community.
The family, which was thrown into mourning by the terrible incident, lamented the insensitivity of the Nigerian government, particularly the officials of NRC and the transportation ministry towards their plight and for neglecting them in their time of grief.
A source in the family said they were shocked that no government official or delegation had visited them to console them over the incident.
Meanwhile, friends and associates of the deceased have continued to throng the house of the late accountant to commiserate with the family. Among those who visited the family on Wednesday were former Senator Shehu Sani, who represented Kaduna Central Senatorial District, President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba and President of the Radio Television Theatre and Arts Workers Union (RATTAWU).
SaharaReporters earlier reported that the landlords in the area under the umbrella of Chikakore Government Layout Landlords Association had on several occasions written letters to the Minister of Transportation and Director of Rail to request and appeal for the construction of an overhead bridge on the rail track.
They even went as far as visiting the Director of Rail but he was said to have ignored and refused to give them an audience.
A separate letter dated March 20, 2016, and addressed to the Director of Rail and Minister of Transportation alerted the authority to the danger posed by the rail track to the residents.
The letter obtained by SaharaReporters read in part, “The only access road for our members and residents of suburbs like Zhikwo, Pese, Ijah, etc to town and for our children to Byazhin Junior and Senior Secondary School, as well as the newly established Chikakore LA Primary school is through the rail.
“In view of the above, the association hereby formally writes and requests as a matter of urgency for your ministry to authorise the contractor to provide an overhead bridge across the rail track for our usage.”
Even though about five letters were written by the community in this regard, the ministry was said to have ignored the complaints and requests by the residents, thereby subjecting them to danger and agony.
The tragedy came just days after the Abuja-Kaduna train service resumed operations following a terrorist attack on the train on March 28, 2022, leading to the death of some passengers and the abduction of many others. The abducted passengers were released in batches, with the last set freed in October.
After the attack, the government suspended operations on the route.
SAHARA REPORTERS
