The National Identity Number (NIN) is now compulsory for passenger profiling when boarding the Abuja-Kaduna train service, the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has said.
The Managing Director of the Corporation, Fidet Okhiria, announced this on Thursday during an interview on a television programme. The NIN, which is no longer optional according to the NRC boss, is part of the new security measures adopted by the government.
The Minister of Transport had last week announced the resumption of train service along the Abuja-Kaduna route after it was suspended in March this year.
He said, Now we are going to include profiling of passengers on the train. It is not like that in the developed world. You can go to the station and buy your ticket. Nobody will ask for your passport, but being in the situation we have found ourselves in, we need to profile passengers.
We are collaborating with NIMC and ensuring that not only when you come to board the train, but your actual self will also show on the monitor and you will see it. If you are not the one, the gates will not open for you. We have also introduced a ticket dispensing machine; there are other facilities we have introduced to ensure that proper profiling is done.
He said the system will ask for NIN to ensure the person buying the ticket is buying for the person that is actually traveling. For visitors, the NRC boss said someone with NIN must be able to identify the person.
According to him, the number of Police, Civil Defense, and Military personnel would also be increased.
He further said the innovation will not be limited to Abuja-Kaduna, adding that it will be extended to Lagos-Ibadan and Itakpe-Warri lines.
Okhiria also disclosed that members of staff of the NRC have also been added to the passengers insurance scheme. He also revealed that the 95 percent increase in workers salaries would be addressed soonest.
