‘Increasing litigations hampering recovery of encroached railway lands’

The Railway Property Management Company Limited (RPMCL) has raised concerns over the rising number of litigations related to encroached railway lands, stating that the legal battles are hampering efforts to recover the properties.

The Managing Director of RPMCL, Mr Timothy Zalanga, highlighted several challenges affecting the company, including insecurity, and lack of coordination between the Federal Ministry of Works, the Federal Ministry of Transport, and the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) on land acquisition for new rail corridors.

Speaking during the maiden visit of the board chairman, RPMCL, Dr Kayode Opeifa, Mr Zalanga revealed that the company currently has 70 pending cases in different courts across the country.

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He expressed concern that tenants facing eviction often resort to prolonged court cases, which allow them to remain on the properties without paying rent.

“Delays in legal processes and prolonged judgments in courts across the country are major setbacks to our revenue generation,” Zalanga said.

He also noted that government agencies, both at federal and state levels, are among the worst defaulters in rent payments, as many tenants assume that railway lands belong to the government and therefore feel entitled to occupy them without fulfilling their rental obligations.

He further explained that insecurity has significantly impacted businesses, making it difficult for tenants to pay their rents, especially in the north and eastern parts of the country.

The board chairman, Dr Kayode Opeifa, assured RPMCL that there would be no interference in its activities.

He pledged the board’s full support and encouraged the management to explore Alternative Dispute Resolution Mechanism (ADRM) to settle legal disputes more efficiently.