Tragedy Waiting To Happen : Traders Take Over Lagos Train Line

In what may literally be described as an invasion, petty traders have taken over the Agbado section of the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge line, exposing themselves to avoidable danger.

Our correspondent who visited the Lateef Jakande Station in the Agbado area of Lagos State, observed that some of the traders even had their wares on the rail tracks.

Former President Muhammadu Buhari in June 2021 commissioned the $2.1bn 156km railway line with an extension to Apapa Port.

One of the traders who identified himself as Dayo, told our correspondent that he has been looking for an affordable shop in a good location, but could not find any.

Then somebody helped him and got a space at the rail station after paying N15,000.

His makeshift restaurant is less than a yard from the rail tracks.

This is the reason he always adjust his umbrella, which he uses as tent, to prevent it from getting destroyed by a moving train.

“When train is coming, we all run away from the rail. Like for me, I adjust my umbrella and leave. Because if you don’t do that, the train will destroy it,” he said.

Another trader who gave his name as Chinedu, and has been there for more than four years, told THE WHISTLER that unlike regular market or street shop, the place is affordable, which is why the traders prefer trading there.

With the way the traders are clustered around the rail tracks, it would be disastrous if a train should derail at the station.

Our correspondent also visited Ikeja-Along and Pencinema area in Agege, and observed similar trend with traders occupying the rail tracks with their wares.

Just like at the airport, railway has its safety protocols.

Some of the protocols obtainable in different parts of the world include that passersby are supposed to walk at a safe distance from the side of the tracks as well as avoid walking between the rails or on the ties.

They are also supposed to maintain a safe distance, like 15 feet, from passing train to avoid being hit or struck by falling or projecting objects.

This is in addition to not sitting, standing, placing coins or other slippery objects on the rails.

However, these protocols are not observed along the Lagos-Ibadan rail corridor as these petty traders have to run helter skelter to clear their wares from the tracks each time they hear the horn of an oncoming train approaching from either directions.

Recent Train Accidents

There have been lots of tragic incidents of train accidents in Lagos. In March 2018, a female youth corps member, Nneka Odili, died as a result of injuries she sustained after a train hit her at Ikeja.

The deceased, it was gathered, wore headphones and for that reason, did not hear the train’s horn while trying to cross the rail track.

Also, in January 2019, one died while hundreds of passengers escaped death following derailment of a train at the Ashade railway crossing on the Agege-Ikeja corridor in the state.

Similarly, in April 2019, a moving train reportedly crushed a tricycle, killing four people along Iju-Fagba corridor.

In September 2020, another tragic incident happened when a train collided with two vehicles, with one person killed and seven others injured at PWD area of the state.

Of recent was the one that happened on March 9 this year. At least six persons were confirmed dead, 42 sustained moderate injuries, 29 serious injuries, while 8 sustained mild injuries, out of 85 passengers onboard a Lagos state government staff bus, which collided with a moving train around the PWD.

Worried by the rate of accidents and how petty traders are abusing the rail tracks in Lagos, the Federal Government in collaboration with the Lagos state government, had in September 2020 warned that it would arrest and jail traders selling on rail tracks in the state.

“The rate at which people deficicate and display their wares on the rail tracks in Lagos is becoming worrisome. This has made the new standard gauge to look like an old track.

“The accident that happened recently occurred because a vehicle was parked on the narrow gauge rail tracks. I was told by the experts that, it takes 800 metres for a train to stop when it’s at full speed. The vehicle was parked there because the occupants were waiting for people to open the Arena shopping complex.

“And because it takes 800meters for a train to stop when at full speed, the train could not apply brakes when the driver saw the vehicle parked on the rail tracks. That was why the train rammed into the vehicle, and unfortunately, a life was lost.

“The Lagos state governor and I have agreed that the train tracks is not a parking space nor a market, so henceforth, traders arrested selling along the train tracks will be prosecuted and jailed. We need to stop people encroaching on the rail tracks in Lagos,” said former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, while addressing journalists after inspecting the rail line.

NRC Blames Economic Challenges

THE WHISTLER gathered that there are Taskforce officials of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) at various locations, whose duty is to ensure that trading activities are not allowed along the corridor. But it appears they are not doing their job.

According to Dayo and Chinedu, to get a space at Lateef Jakande Station in the Agbado area, N15,000 is paid to officials of the corporation.

An official of NRC who pleaded anonymity told THE WHISTLER that the corporation had barricaded some section of the train tracks to prevent human interaction, but regretted that it was vandalized.

The official also noted that even though the corporation has a Taskforce, enforcement has been hampered, especially when the economic situation of these traders is put into consideration.

“We’ve a Taskforce on ground that always chase those people, if I may use that word. But as soon as the train passes, they come back,” he said

“Let us look at this thing from a sympathetic point of view. Life is difficult for people. Where do you want them to go and earn a living? When the train pass(es), let them come and earn a living. Things are too difficult for people,” he added.

Between 2016 and 2022, the number of people living in extreme poverty in Nigeria (those earning less than $1.90 per day) increased from about 70 million to 88.4 million, according to Statista, a leading provider of market and consumer data.

In a report published in February, Statista said that in 2022, 12.9 percent of people living in extreme poverty across the globe were found in Nigeria.

“In 2022, an estimated population of 88.4 million people in Nigeria lived in extreme poverty. The number of men living on less than 1.90 U.S. dollars a day in the country reached around 44.7 million, while the count was at 43.7 million for women. Overall, 12.9 percent of the global population in extreme poverty were found in Nigeria as of 2022,” Statista stated.

Also, in its 2022 Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) survey, released in November last year, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said that 63 percent of persons living within Nigeria, 133 million people, are multidimensionally poor.

“63 percent of persons living within Nigeria (133 million people) are multidimensionally poor.The National MPI is 0.257, indicating that poor people in Nigeria experience just over one-quarter of all possible deprivations.

“65 percent of the poor (86 million people) live in the North, while 35 percent (nearly 47 million) live in the South. Poverty levels across States vary significantly, with the incidence of multidimensional poverty ranging from a low of 27 percent in Ondo to a high of 91 percent in Sokoto.

“Over half of the population of Nigeria are multidimensionally poor and cook with dung, wood or charcoal, rather than cleaner energy. High deprivations are also apparent nationally in sanitation, time to healthcare, food insecurity, and housing,” NBS said in a statement.

According to NBS, citing the 2018/19 national monetary poverty line, 40.1 percent of people in the country are poor.

The World Bank in June said that four million Nigerians were plunged into poverty in the first five months of this year, and projected that another 7.1 million more may slide into poverty trap if measures are not taken to properly manage the impact of petrol subsidy removal.

“Inflation pushed an estimated four million more Nigerians into poverty in the first five months of 2023, and average prices of locally produced staples have increased faster than average inflation,” the World Bank said in its Nigeria Development Update report for June.

It’s Such A Dangerous Trend – Expert

The President, Chartered Institute of Transport Administration of Nigeria (CIOTA), Prince Segun Obayendo, described trading along rail corridors as dangerous trend.

Obayendo while speaking with THE WHISTLER noted that if crossing the rail track could pose a danger to vehicles, how much more human beings, adding that it is dangerous for people to trade on rail track or beside it.

“It’s obvious what the dangers are about and it’s all the totality of the ignorant traders. If not, in other climes where all the modes of transport are very open, and many are used to them, the risk cannot be overemphasized.

“For example, with our limited deployment, where we don’t have magnetic device to detect ahead of time what’s standing on the rail track, it’s such a dangerous trend. And as we’ve seen recently on the bus collision with the rail (train) in Lagos; the one we also had in Kubwa in Abuja – a vehicle that was trying to cross. Those are bigger objects compared to human beings,” he said.

Touching on the global best standards, he said that people are not allowed to get close to rail tracks, not to talk of trading on the tracks.

Obayendo called on the government to create more awareness on the dangers of trading on rail tracks or beside the rain line.

The CIOTA President also asked the government to put sentiment aside and do what is right for the sake of humanity, noting that of what essence would it be for the traders to be allowed to trade on compassionate ground at the expense of their lives.

He said: “It’s dangerous and I think government and each and everyone of us should let them (traders) know the danger. Ideally, it shouldn’t be welcomed that they should be trading along that track. It’s not done, it’s not advisable, it’s not encouraging. So whatever we’ve to do to educate them, we’ve to do it. We should put sentiment aside and do what’s right for humanity as opposed to saying ‘Ah! They don’t have place to sell their goods’. What is goods if their life is lost? What are they selling if their lives could be taken away in the process?”

“We still have a long way to go, but it’s doable and it’s possible that we can achieve zero tolerance of people trading along the rail track,” Obayendo said.