Business
Oshodi traders turn abandoned railway track to market place
Traders on the rail tracks at Oshodi, dislodged by the former Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, in 2008 have started returning to the sport unmolested.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the traders had in the meantime limited the display of their goods on the Nigerian Railway Corporation disused second track, abandoned since 2009.
A Correspondent of NAN who visited the area on Wednesday reports that when Fashola, now the Minister of Power, Housing and Works, dislodged the traders, the two tracks were functional.
But the traders then defiantly displayed their goods on the two tracks.
Kiosks of different sizes were then placed on and along the two tracks by the traders to display their wares.
The traders hurriedly moved their goods away for an approaching train only to return after the train had gone.
Reports have it that the traders were dislodged because Oshodi, especially along the rail tracks, was known to be the dirtiest and an abode for criminals in Lagos State.
Before the dislodgement, their activities not only disrupted the movement of the train due to the congestion, but also prevented easy movement of passengers when alighting or joining the train at the station.
The traders always pushed the passengers away not to step on their goods, leaving many of them unable to alight or join the train at the station.
Often times, the situation led to quarrel between the passengers and the traders, but the traders always boasted that they paid for their space on the tracks.
NAN reports that the situation was now gradually returning with the traders staging a comeback.
One of the traders along the tracks, who spoke anonymously, told NAN that they settled some people to sell their goods along the disused track.
The trader who also declined to mention those that were settled, however, added that some miscreants, who called themselves ‘Omo-Onile’ (land owners), were among those settled.
When contacted, some of the NRC officials at the station declined comment but directed NAN to their headquarters at Ebute Meta, Lagos.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government has started erecting metal fence to protect the rail tracks from Ilupeju to Ikeja to check the activities of the traders and miscreants.
The NRC Managing Director, Mr Adeseyi Sijwuade, told NAN on Wednesday that the corporation had met with the Lagos State Government which promised to execute the project.
Prof Lawan Bala Buratai Appointed Vice Chancellor of Nigerian Army University Biu After Rigorous Selection
In a significant leadership transition at one of Nigeria’s foremost military-civilian academic institutions, Professor Lawan Bala Buratai has been appointed as the new Vice Chancellor of the Nigerian Army University Biu (NAUB).
The appointment was announced following an intensive and merit-based selection process conducted by the Governing Council of NAUB at the Armed Forces Officers Mess and Suites, Asokoro, Abuja. The Council, under the chairmanship of Dr. Awwal Moriki, concluded its deliberations and formally presented the letter of appointment to Prof Buratai in a brief but momentous ceremony.
Dr. Moriki, while congratulating the new helmsman, described the selection as the culmination of a transparent and rigorous process aimed at identifying a visionary academic leader who embodies the university’s core values of excellence, discipline, and innovation.
With this appointment, Prof Buratai succeeds Professor Kyari Mohammed, whose single five-year tenure is widely credited with laying a strong foundation for the university’s academic and structural growth.
The Nigerian Army University Biu (NAUB) was established in 2018 as a unique public institution owned by the Nigerian Army and designed to serve both military personnel and civilians. Located in Biu, Borno State, the university was conceived as a strategic response to the security and developmental challenges facing Nigeria and the wider Sahel region.
NAUB is focused on entrepreneurship, innovation, defense studies, and technology-driven research. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate programs in diverse fields ranging from engineering and environmental sciences to social sciences, computing, and military history.
What sets NAUB apart is its civil-military partnership model, which aims to foster mutual understanding and collaboration between Nigeria’s armed forces and the general populace. The university plays a key role in developing indigenous solutions to security challenges while also contributing to national capacity building and economic resilience through education.
With increasing national and international recognition, NAUB continues to attract scholars and partnerships across Africa and beyond, committed to transforming it into a world-class institution in security and development research.
Professor Lawan Buratai, a respected scholar and administrator, is expected to lead the university into its next chapter—deepening academic standards, expanding infrastructure, and strengthening NAUB’s role in national transformation.
His appointment signals a continuity of vision with a renewed focus on excellence, innovation, and service to the nation.
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