The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday 7th October 2020 approved the appointment of Engineer Fidet Edentalen Okhiria, the current Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, for a second successive and final term of four years as the MD of NRC, which will come into effect on the 20th of October 2020. Engineer Okhiria before his initial appointment in February 2016 in acting capacity, was Director, Mechanical, Electrical, Signal & Telecommunications of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC). His appointment was made substantive in October of the same year.

He succeeded Engineer Adeseyi Sijuwade, who was appointed in 2010 by President Goodluck Jonathan and reappointed in 2014. But Sijuwade was affected by the overhauling of parastatals at the time carried out by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari early 2016, to re-strategise the railway sector and reawaken the railway systems in Nigeria.

Despite the huge success recorded in the railway sector thus far, there are serious problems about the manner of ticketing, especially in the Abuja-Kaduna rail system. Commuters have persistently complained of corruption in the ticketing system and by the ticketing staff.

Last year, the Minister for Transportation, Honourable Rótìmí Chibuike Amaechi had made an impromptu inspection visit to a station in Abuja and warned that the staff behave appropriately or have their services terminated. That has however not changed much about the conduct of ticketing.

The person responsible for this aspect of the services is Adeniyi Alli, who is the Director, Operations & Commercial Management Team.

Engineer Okhiria attended Ujeolen Primary School from 1967 to 1972; Ujeolen Grammar School from 1973 to 1977, both in Ekpoma, Bendel (now Edo) State. He earned a BSc in Electrical Engineering from the University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos. He served his National Youth Service (NYSC) programme with National Electrical Power Authority (NEPA, now PHCN) from 1985 to 1986.

He was born in Iruekpen, Ekpoma, in the now Edo State.