The Federal Government has launched a N900 million E-Ticketing platform for the Kaduna-Abuja rail services of the Nigerian Railway Corporation.

This was disclosed in a social media statement by the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi on Thursday.

He said the platform would enhance efficiency, save time, and promote accountability, as well as reduce leakage and promote economic growth.

The Minister also disclosed that the platform was a PPP valued at N900 million, stating that the concessionaire, Secure ID Solutions, would provide and manage the system for 10 years in a bid to recoup its investment before handling the service over to the NRC.

The Chief Executive Officer, Secure ID Solutions, Kofo Akinkugbe, said the system, after a successful pilot programme on Thursday, had issued 25,000 tickets online.

The 3 ways to book are:

• 1. Mobile app
• 2. Website
• 3. POS or Cash at the station

“All automated. A validator is used to scan your ticket barcode before you board the train,” Amaechi said.

The FG urged citizens to check http://nrc.tps.ng to make their bookings.

The Federal Government has announced the commencement of a mop-up verification exercise for ex-workers of Nigeria Airways Limited in conjunction with the Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA), a department of the Finance Ministry.

This was disclosed in a statement by the FG on Thursday.

The FG said, “The exercise, which is the last the Ministry of Finance will carry out, is meant to verify ex-workers of the defunct Nigeria Airways who have genuine claims but are yet to be paid.

“The Federal Government is determined to ensure that all former public workers, especially those of liquidated agencies, who have genuine and legitimate claims, are not denied of such.”

What you should know 

• Recall Nairametrics reported in December 2019 that the CEO of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), Mr Ahmed Kuru, said airlines failed in Nigeria for “serious issues in aircraft financing” which he blamed on “our people that dabble into the business of aviation with the wrong capital mix.”
• Managed by a number of foreign companies, including British Airways, KLM, and South African Airways, Nigeria Airways had its heyday in the early 1980s, just before the departure of a KLM team that had been hired to make the airline efficient and profitable.
• Plagued by mismanagement, corruption, and overstaffing, the airline at the time of closure had debts totalling $528 million, as its operative fleet comprised a single aircraft flying domestic routes, as well as two leased aircraft operating the international network.
• Nigeria Airways was succeeded by Virgin Nigeria, and the ground facilities were taken over by Arik Air.

President Muhammadu Buhari has announced that he has directed all government agencies to grant the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, access to its system for effective service delivery.

The President also stated that the FIRS fully deploying automation is in line with international best practices.

This was disclosed by the President in a social media statement on Thursday.

READ: FG receives N144 billion in dividends from NLNG in 2020

“We must use technology to plug all revenue loopholes,” Buhari said.

“To this end, I have directed all government agencies and business enterprises to grant FIRS access to their systems for seamless connection. FIRS must fully deploy automation, in line with international best practices,” he added.

READ: How President Buhari plans to boost Power supply, job creation in 2021

What you should know

• Nairametrics reported that the FIRS announced that it generated N4,952,243,711,728.37 as tax revenue in the 2020 fiscal year. This is about 98% of the tax target of N5.076 trillion that was set for the FIRS by the Federal Government.
• The FIRS also announced the creation of 35 new Tax Audit Units to combat illicit financial flow across the country.