Workers of the Nigeria Railway Corporation have written to its managing director, Kayode Opeifa; the Nigeria Labour Congress; and the corporation’s workers national body, calling for a discrete investigation into the crisis between the workers and the management of the corporation’s business arm, the Nigerian Railway Properties Ltd.

The worker had accused the General Manager of the Nigerian Railway Properties Ltd of sharp practice and conversion of staff quarters in the chapter for private use after dislodging the workers from their homes.

This disagreement between the Kano Chapter of the NRC workers led to the suspension of the chapter chairman and secretary, respectively, among other executive members of the union in the chapter.

The PUNCH reports that the workers recently petitioned the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, over the alleged sale of their quarters by the General Manager without due process.

The National President of the Union, Innocent Ajiji, dismissed the claims, saying some of the dislodged members have been housed in a new building.

The latest letter to the managing director of the NRC, signed by both the suspended secretary and chairman and obtained by our correspondent, stated that the union’s national president lied, insisting that the apartments were rented to the workers with a promise of building and handing over a new property to the aggrieved workers in two years.

Speaking through the letter, the workers said, “Ajiji told the newspaper correspondent that the staff members who were evicted from the staff quarters had been housed in another new building, but that’s not true. The staff members in question were fooled by the NUR P.G. Ajiji himself with a written agreement.”

The suspended secretary of the union added that the staff members have been paying for the apartment they currently occupy.

“As if that was not enough, Ajiji came to Kano early this month after the event of our suspension to verbally tell those staff members who have suffered humiliation from different landlords that the new structure which is made for replacement is now for rent, and when asked about the earlier agreement, he verbally told them that things have changed. We have a video to back this claim up.”

The suspended executive members further stated that “The rent that the staff members are subject to pay before occupying the supposed new houses, as declared by the Railway Property Agent, ranges between N120,000 for a single room, N220,000 for a room and parlour and N330,000 for a 2-bedroom flat, respectively. Yet he is boldly saying that the staff has been housed in another new building.”

Also reacting to a threat by the national president to order the sacking of the protesting executives, the suspended secretary said, “Regretfully, we will never expect anything from him because nothing good has ever come to us here in Kano from him but betrayals.

“He also said if we are not careful, he will ask the management to sack us! As what? As if Railway Management is his subject, whom he can order around, forgetting that he is an employee too.”

When contacted, Ajiji said he had yet to receive the letter from the suspended executives.