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By Kenneth Jukpor
A former Nigerian Military Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (Rtd.) is set to chair the 2nd National Transport Summit to be organized by the Chartered Institute of Transport Administration (CIoTA) Nigeria, next week.
Three key Ministers; Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi, Minister of Aviation, Mr. Hadi Sirika, Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, are also attending the conference to avail a holistic approach to resolving the numerous challenges plaguing the nation’s transport sector.
The event which takes place from December 1st to December 3rd, 2020 in Abuja would also have the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Alhaji Mohammed Musa Bello and the Minister of State for Transportation, Senator Gbemi Saraki, will be Special Guests of Honour at the event.
Speaking ahead of the event, CIoTA’s National President, Dr. Bashir Jamoh described the upcoming summit as an opportunity to build on the gains of the maiden edition which was held in December 2019.
He assured that as CIoTA took its place as the foremost and exclusive chartered body designated by legislation to drive the transportation sector in Nigeria, the institute would continue to contribute towards sustainable transport infrastructure, addressing inter-connectivity challenges and funding issues across the sector.
Jamoh, who is also the Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), said the areas of focus for the summit spans across rail network, highways and bridges, deep seaports, airports concessioning, among others.
He described the building of inland ports as a hybrid of innovation and technology for extending the hinterland ports, even as he noted that the rebuilding of Nigeria’s transport infrastructure is ongoing on many fronts.
“There are enormous challenges in the efforts towards developing the transportation sector in the country. These include funding, public-private partnerships (PPP) arrangements institution building, and the COVID-19 issues which have increased the risks of transportation globally. The summit will address the many facets of these issues, using the expertise and rich industrial experience of the speakers, discussants, and active audience participation,” he stated.
Jamoh also expressed optimism that the summit would address sustainable transport infrastructure development in Nigeria in relation to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), analyze the innovations and current challenges in the air and road transport modes in Nigeria, and discuss the automobile industry in Nigeria showing an example of success in indigenous vehicle technology development.
Other Guests of Honour expected at the summit include; the Director-General of National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Dr. George Moghalu; Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala-Usman; Executive Secretary of Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Mr. Hassan Bello; the Managing Director, Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) Engr. Fidet Okhiria, Managing Director, Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Engr. Nuruddeen Abdurrahman Raffindadi; Rector, Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) Oron, Comrade Emmanuel Duja Effedua; Director General, Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT) Zaria, Dr. Salih Farah Bayero and the Corps Marshall, Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC), Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi.
The event would also feature the 2020 Annual General Meeting (AGM) for CIoTA as well as technical sessions and panel discussions to cover a wide range of topics on the nation’s transport challenges and possible solutions.
