Experts Call For Unity Among Subsectors In Transport Industry

By Okuneye Moyosola

The Chief Executive Officer of Belujane Konzult and an aviation consultant, Mr. Chris Aligbe has said that the transport sector can only overcome its challenges through harmony across the sub-sectors, such as the road mode, rail, aviation and maritime.

Aligbe made this statement during the 2nd Transport Lecture and Awards organized by Kings Communications, the publishers of MMS Plus newspaper.

The former General Manager Public Affairs at Nigerian Airways lamented that there is no synergy in the industry as a result of so much territoriality within the industry.

“Everybody wants to have a territory for themselves.  The industry will never move forward unless we agree to work together. When we come together, the industry should be able to move out to reach other sub sectors. Unless we inter-modernize, we would not get anywhere” he said.

The event with the theme “Leadership in a Next level, Democracy: Striking a Positive Balance in Transport Sector” was well attended by experts in the maritime, aviation, railway and road sectors.

Aligbe emphasized the need for the private sector to be at the commanding height of the industry adding that there is a lot of burden placed on the government.

“If we talk about the amount of money that we need in ports, we will never have the kind of funds we need to build modern ports unless we quicken the private sector to stay at the commanding height of the sector. In the road transport sector, the government is not involved, it is the private sector. All that they need is to organize them and put them in proper perspective so that they can key into the policies that will come in to drive the entire transport sector” he said.

Also speaking at the event, Secretary General of the Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI) and an Aviation Security Consultant, Group Captain John Ojikutu (Rtd) stressed that government should not be blamed for the challenges in the aviation industry.

Captain Ojikutu emphasized the need for assessing those in leadership adding that the aviation industry and the transport industry at large could achieve its aim by knocking on the doors of the presidency.

“Do not talk about government, talk about the individuals. Hold the individuals that are in those positions responsible. Nothing stops you from knocking on the door of the minister. Find a way to get his phone number and send messages to them. Everybody keeps blaming the government for not supporting them. Confront these government agencies. Except we are able to confront them, nothing will happen” he said.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Kings Communications Limited, Mr. Kingsley Anaroke, in his welcome address at the Second Edition of MMS Transport Leadership Lecture, also said that the leadership in transport sector is not driven by professionalism but by delegation philosophy.

According to him, this mode of leadership has limited the contributions of the sector to national growth.

Anaroke noted that the right leadership would position the sector to take its critical place in the emerging new technology-driven transportation world.

He, therefore, called on Nigerians and transport sector operators to join the campaign for good leadership and urged the agencies in the sector to create a platform for synergy in order to achieve its goals.