DR. KAYODE OPEIFA: REDEFINING CUSTOMER SERVICE AT THE NIGERIAN RAILWAY CORPORATION
Customer service is fundamentally about building and sustaining a strong relationship between an organisation and the people it serves. Beyond responding to enquiries and complaints, it requires understanding customers’ experiences, expectations and concerns. This makes feedback an invaluable instrument for any service-oriented organisation.
While Public Relations addresses an organisation’s broader relationship with its internal and external publics, customer service focuses more closely on the individual experiences of customers. For a service organisation such as the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), the quality of this relationship is particularly important.
Over the years, engagement between the Corporation and its customers was largely administrative. Issues were communicated, responses were received where available, and attention often shifted to other matters. What was largely missing was sustained, personalised engagement capable of creating a stronger bond between the Corporation and its passengers.
The assumption of office of Dr. Kayode Opeifa as Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Railway Corporation has brought a noticeable change to this relationship.
With customer experience occupying an important place in his management philosophy, Dr. Opeifa strengthened the Customer Service function and gave it greater prominence within the Corporation. The objective has been clear: passengers should not merely be transported; they should be listened to, respected and given value for the services they receive.
Richard Branson once observed that customer loyalty is built by giving customers an exceptional experience. Dr. Opeifa’s approach to railway management reflects this philosophy, with increasing emphasis on direct engagement, feedback and prompt response to passengers’ concerns.
One remarkable aspect of his style is his willingness to make himself accessible to railway passengers. During interactions aboard trains and at stations, he has shared his telephone contact with passengers and encouraged them to communicate their experiences directly.
The result has been a considerably shorter feedback chain. Passengers are able to report developments at stations, aboard trains and around railway facilities, sometimes providing information that reaches Management almost immediately.
This has also encouraged greater responsiveness across the system. When passengers know that their complaints, observations and suggestions can receive attention, confidence in the organisation improves. It gives them a sense that they are active stakeholders in the railway system rather than mere users of the service.
Another significant aspect of Dr. Opeifa’s customer-centred approach is the attention given to passengers affected by operational incidents. Where circumstances permit, he engages directly with victims and their families. Where he cannot personally visit, District Managers or other senior officials of the Corporation are often directed to represent Management.
I witnessed this dimension of leadership following the Warri–Itakpe train accident. I was part of a delegation that visited one of the affected passengers who had relocated to Nsukka, Enugu State, to stay with her daughter.
The family’s reaction was deeply touching. They expressed surprise and appreciation that senior representatives of the Corporation would make the effort to visit them after the incident. Their response demonstrated the enormous value of empathy, follow-up and human connection in building public confidence.
Such gestures may appear simple, but they help create goodwill, restore trust and strengthen the relationship between an organisation and the people it serves.
Dr. Opeifa captured this philosophy when he said:
“Customers are at the heart of everything we do. Their feedback, trust and partnership challenge us to keep improving and delivering value every day. Customer Service Week is an opportunity to recognise that relationship and remind ourselves that great service must go beyond expectations.”
Beyond customer relations, his administration continues to pursue improvements in other areas of the Corporation, including staff welfare, operational efficiency and service delivery.
However, the transformation of the Nigerian railway system cannot be achieved by Management alone. It requires the cooperation of employees, passengers, communities, stakeholders and Nigerians generally.
As the Corporation works to align itself with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, sustained public support and constructive feedback will remain essential.
For the Nigerian Railway Corporation, the emerging message is clear: customer service must no longer be treated merely as a department or an administrative responsibility. It must become a culture.
And under Dr. Kayode Opeifa, that culture is gradually taking deeper root.
Onyedikachi Stanley Onovo, Ph.D., FCAI, ANIPR
Eastern District Public Relations Officer
Nigerian Railway Corporation, Enugu
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