President, CIoTA Nigeria, Dr. Bashir Jamoh

The Chartered Institute of Transport Administration of Nigeria CIoTA, is putting finishing touches to plans designed to hold the 2019 edition of National Transport Summit/Annual General Meeting with the theme: “Unlocking the Potential of Transportation for Sustainable Development”, barring any last minute change in the scheme of things.

The summit, scheduled to hold from December 3-5 at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, is aimed at pushing for policies that will facilitate a seamless integration of the different modes of transportation in the country.

President of the institute, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, who addressed a media conference in the company of other members of the executive committee of the institute in Lagos, Friday, said that Chairman, Presidential Economic Council, Dr. Doyin Salami, will lead other renowned experts, who will be making presentations at the three-day event on various aspects of the Nigeria’ transport system and seek ways for improving it, for the good of country’s economy.

It was also gathered that the Summit will have in attendance many dignitaries in government and the transport industry, led by the Honourable  Minister of Transport, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi; Minister of Aviation, Mr. Hadi Serika; Minister of Woks and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola; and Minister of State for Transport, Senator Gbemi Saraki.

Others include the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, renowned economist, Professor Pat Utomi, and Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority NPA, Hadiza Bala Usman.

The president, who doubles as Executive Director, Finance and Administration of NIMASA, also said that the convening of the National Summit is in keeping with the earlier promise during his investiture in February, this year to create an institute that will further help proffer solutions to the challenges facing the transport sector in Nigeria and also augment Federal Government’s efforts in that direction.

Recall that the executives had also promised to work with relevant bodies and associations to ensure the realisation of an efficient transport sector as well as coming up with programmes that will create a platform where all transport-related bodies would come together to brainstorm and share ideas with the relevant authorities for the development of the sector in the country.

He said: “The need to integrate road, rail, water and air transport has become very important as none can stand on its own without the other. When goods are brought by air, rail or water the end product is majorly the road, hence we will also be collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to assist in the road expansion and rehabilitation so that goods can be easily moved from one point to another.

“Trade is only complete when the goods reach the final destination efficiently. At the summit, we will be discussing and addressing how best we can get the needed value in the transport sector supply chain.

“As we know, our ports, especially in Lagos, are congested and there is need for expansion so that it can contain more goods. This can only be done by collaboration with the relevant stakeholders in the transport and logistics sector of Nigeria”.

The president also disclosed that the summit will once again seek to bring to the front burner the issue of the Apapa gridlock that has caused the entire Apapa community untold hardship, basically because of the concentration of cargo on the seaports in Lagos.

 He assured that the institute on its part as a body will be pushing for the use of other ports in the south-south region of the country, so that Lagos ports are decongested, adding that emphasis will be laid on the need for the expansion of the ports, especially Apapa and Tin Can Island Ports, due to high volumes of trade so that they can accommodate more consignments.

“CIoTA as an institute cannot achieve all these alone, except by collaboration with relevant government bodies, which includes the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Federal Ministry of Aviation, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, NIMASA, NPA, Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Federal Road Safety Commission FRSC, along with other well- meaning organisations, related national associations and the security agencies as well as the media.

“In CIoTA, we will constantly offer professional advice to government on issues relating to transportation and we will also continue to train our members so that they will be in tandem with modern day realities and best global practices as regards transportation.

Let me use this opportunity to thank President Muhammadu Buhari for assenting to the bill establishing CIoTA and to assure him that we will not disappoint Nigerians”, the Dr. Jamoh also said.