A video showing some officials using their hands to manually ‘push a train’ on the recently commissioned Blue Line Rail in Marina, Lagos, Nigeria, has gone viral.
Reports say the pushing came just a week after select citizens were invited for a test ride on the Blue Line Rail.
After the video went viral, Twitter users took to the platform to react.
Nigerians are mocking the authorities over the video, which the Lagos State Government on Sunday labelled propaganda.
“Why would you commission a project then pause the service? Why would people push the train? No safety measures were even taken,” @TheOdor3 tweeted.
“Commissioned” for those saying it’s a test run. Lagos State Government invited Mr President for the purpose of commissioning projects. Dem dey test run wetin dem don commission?” @mandu_preye quipped.
However, others questioned how possible it is for 5 people to push a train and said there was probably an explanation for what was going on in the video.
Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) then issued a statement via Corporate Communication official, Kolawole Ojelabi.
LAMATA said the agency had seen a “doctored video clip showing four people purportedly pushing one of the train sets about to be deployed for passenger operations.”
“We discovered that the train was clearly moving, and these people purportedly “pushing” the train were behind it doing God knows what.
“From the average length of the trains, even 20 people can’t push it. Four people can’t push a container truck, talk less of a four-car train set.”
The spokesperson appealed to the public to be wary of “those bent on doing everything possible to discredit the rail project”.
Ojelabi added that residents who have interacted with the Lagos rail system know it’s “a game changer”.
Video:
😭 He said dead on arrival? pic.twitter.com/yaVBoD28ik
— 🐬 @𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗷𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗯𝗼𝘆 (@OneJoblessBoy) April 1, 2023