The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has commenced a comprehensive review of more than 150 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) as part of efforts to strengthen railway safety, improve operational efficiency and enhance service delivery.
The Managing Director of the Corporation, Dr. Kayode Opeifa, disclosed this while declaring open a two-day Executive Standard Operating Procedure Review and Familiarisation retreat in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Represented by the Head of the Business Process Efficiency and Due Diligence (BuPED) Desk, Mr. Oyekunle Oyewole, Opeifa said the exercise was designed to standardise operations, minimise operational risks and strengthen accountability across all levels of the Corporation.
He stressed that SOPs should not be viewed as bureaucratic documents but as practical guides that clearly define what staff should do, how tasks should be performed and who is responsible for them.
“An SOP is not bureaucracy. It is a practical document that tells every member of staff, from the track to the boardroom what to do, how to do it, and who is responsible”, he said.
According to him, effective SOPs would strengthen operational efficiency, promote safety and align the Corporation’s operations with global best practices.
Opeifa charged the Directors and other participants to approach the review critically, identify operational gaps and develop practical solutions that would produce enforceable SOPs suited to the railway system being built by the Corporation.
Over 150 Procedures Under Review
Oyewole said more than 150 SOPs were being reviewed during the retreat, describing the exercise as a major step towards building a stronger, more efficient and effective organisation.
He also emphasised the importance of increased collaboration among departments, noting that stronger teamwork would contribute significantly to the transformation of the NRC.
The retreat commenced on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, aboard the conference coach of the Lagos-Ibadan Train Service en route to Abeokuta, bringing together Directors, Deputy Directors, Assistant Directors, management staff and members of the BuPED team.
The Technical Adviser to the Managing Director on Train Operations, Mr Adeife Akin Olukolade, described the SOP as a living document that should be regularly updated to reflect the dynamic nature of railway operations.
Drawing from more than two decades of railway operations experience across three continents, Olukolade said codifying the Corporation’s operational procedures would usher the NRC into a new era of operational excellence.
Safety, Compliance Take Centre Stage
Also speaking, the Director of Operations, Mr. Akin Oshinowo, said the review was expected to reduce operational incidents, improve efficiency and consistency in service delivery, strengthen compliance with established standards and ensure value for money.
He added that the exercise would help foster a proactive work culture in which staff carry out their responsibilities without constant supervision.
Oshinowo assured participants that Management would provide the necessary enabling environment for effective implementation of the reviewed SOPs and ensure their institutionalisation as part of the Corporation’s operational culture.
The Director of Administration and Human Resources, Dr. Monsurat Omotayo, delivered the first technical paper, titled “The Role of Capacity Building in the Effective Implementation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)”.
She identified continuous staff development, effective leadership, a culture of compliance and performance measurement as critical to the successful implementation of the procedures.
During the interactive session, participants stressed the need for strict compliance with the SOPs by all categories of staff.
The Director of Civil Engineering and New Lines, Engr. Adekunle Ayeni, said attitudinal change and consequence management were fundamental to successful implementation, advocating a balanced system of rewards for compliance and appropriate sanctions for violations.
The Special Adviser to the Managing Director on Media and Strategic Communication, Mr. Adeyinka Aderibigbe, described the retreat as a significant milestone, saying the document emerging from the exercise would serve as a benchmark for railway operators and service providers across the industry.
The Deputy Director of Finance, Alhaji Abdullah, said the review was unique because it was producing, for the first time, a comprehensive written operational document developed through the collective contributions of key departments, making it practical, inclusive and implementable.
The two-day technical review covered SOPs across Corporate Planning, Medical, Finance, Legal, Internal Audit, ICT, Procurement, Operations and Commercial, Civil Engineering, Mechanical, Electrical, Signal and Telecommunications (MEST), and Human Resources departments.
In her closing remarks, Omotayo appreciated the participants for their active engagement and urged them to sustain the momentum as the reviewed SOP document moves into the implementation stage.