NRC boss apologises to NUJ over altercation with journalist

Kayode Opeifa, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), has apologised to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) following an altercation involving a reporter at the site of the Abuja–Kaduna train derailment.

Daily Times earlier reported that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter of the NUJ condemned Opeifa for allegedly harassing Ladi Bala, a Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) reporter and immediate past president of the Nigerian Association of Women Journalists.

Bala was said to have been subjected to verbal intimidation while reporting live from the derailment site, where several coaches tumbled after veering off track.

Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday, Opeifa said he had “done the needful” in response to the NUJ’s demand for an apology.

“My position is not to address the issue because it involves the NUJ, an organisation I was once part of, fought with, fought for, and cherished,” he said.

“The FCT Council of the NUJ even gave me an award in the past. I am a friend of NUJ and other unions, and I have journalist friends across the country, including a former Minister of Information and Culture, among many others.

“The NUJ demanded an apology from me, and as a friend of the house, I apologise for what happened and take full responsibility.”

The NRC boss emphasised that he would not “dissipate further energy” on the matter, stressing that his focus remained on his national assignment in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

“Yesterday at the Villa, I did what others thought I would not do — I publicly apologised to the NUJ,” he explained.

“I have also been in touch with several media leaders who reached out to me. They asked for an apology, and I have given it. I am leaving the rest to God, mankind, and humanity.”