Anxiety has gripped the Nigerian Railway Corporation following a stern warning by its Managing Director, Dr Kayode Opeifa, against the unauthorised sale, lease, or allocation of the corporation’s landed properties.

In an internal circular dated December 18, 2025, and referenced MDL.360/25/T/VOL.1-062, the management disclosed that it had uncovered alleged illegal dealings in NRC properties by some officers without due authorisation.

The memo, obtained by The PUNCH, was addressed to Railway District Managers in Ebute Metta, Ibadan, and five other districts, with copies sent to key directorates, including Procurement, Legal, Commercial, Human Resources, Mechanical and Engineering, Operations, and Finance.

According to the circular, some officers were allegedly involved in leasing, allocating, or otherwise transacting NRC landed assets without proper documentation or approval from the Office of the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer.

Recall that barely nine months ago, members of the Nigerian Union of Railway Workers and the Senior Staff Association of Communications Transport Cooperation accused NRC Properties Limited of unlawfully selling and converting railway assets in some states, particularly in the North.

While the unions alleged that several NRC properties were unjustly converted, the property management company maintained that all transactions followed due process.

The aggrieved workers subsequently petitioned the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the Federal Ministry of Justice, and the Kano State Government, urging an investigation into transactions they said spanned 17 years.

However, Opeifa insisted that the approval, clearance, or lease of any NRC land falls strictly within the exclusive authority of the Managing Director.

He warned that no Railway District Manager is permitted to engage in any form of transaction, allocation, or disposal of NRC landed property without explicit written approval from the Managing Director of the NRC to the Managing Director of the Railway Property Management Company Limited.

The NRC boss further threatened that any district manager or officer found culpable would face severe disciplinary action in line with the corporation’s rules and the Public Service Regulations.

“You are therefore strongly warned and advised to desist forthwith from any unauthorised dealings in NRC landed properties and to strictly adhere to this directive,” the memo read.

Efforts to get the spokesperson of the NRC, Callistus Unyimadu, to speak on the document were unsuccessful, as calls and text messages sent to his phone were left unattended.

Meanwhile, two staff members who spoke with our correspondent on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprimand said some senior officers had started running helter-skelter to tidy up their bargains with illegal occupants of the corporation’s properties.