- Promises affordable mass transport scheme
From Idu Jude Abuja
The newly appointed Minister of Transportation, Senator Saidu Ahmed Alikali, has reassured Nigerians and Industry players of the urgent need for presidential assent on the pending transportation bill for a well-deregulated transportation sector for better economic growth.
The Minister of Transportation, re-enacted hope during a press briefing on the assumption of office Tuesday in Abuja, stressing that the sector if we’ll harnessed would drive the economy outside the petroleum industry.
Former transportation minister Chibuike Amaechi had approached the 10th Assembly on the sponsorship of the bill which is at its second reading to help revamp the economy.
According to Senator Alikali, assent to the bill has become a priority as a former lawmaker and to ensure that the industry attends to its full economic potential, with an assurance that his tenure would be dedicated to its fruition.
Speaking further, Alikali, stated that it is important to note that the Ministry of Transportation remains among the few ministries that were established and continue in existence from the colonial period to date with little modification of name given its strategic place as the gateway to the nation’s economy.
“This might explain why the ministry is undergoing restructuring in response to emerging national economic challenges that require the services of the ministry. In furtherance of my sincere commitment to ensuring the realization of the renewed hope of this administration, I have resolved to ensure effective supervision, monitoring and evaluation of the performance of all the departments of the ministry and its agencies to meet operational standards, judicious expenditure management and optimal productivity. I would also ensure a sustainable collaboration with related ministries, agencies and corporate entities to reactivate the road transport and transit operations in the country”.
Similarly, Sen. Alikali, revealed that his administration will understudy the prevailing economic trends as well as undertake the provision, modernization, rehabilitation, planning and development of the rail transport sector with efficient security services to support the realization of the primary purpose of government. This initiative according to him, will no doubt maximize the potentials embodied in the recent constitutional alterations that loved rail transport services from the executive list to the concurrent list. He said this would as well reduce the frequent menace on Nigerian roads characterized by accidents, kidnappings and armed robbery.
“As a compliment towards ensuring the realization of this aspiration, I will support the provision of the necessary conducive environment while at the same time, maintaining zero tolerance to indiscipline, laxity, inefficiency and any form of misconduct in the discharge of any official responsibilities”
He remarked that the ministry shall under him strive to ensure the realization of its mandate and the mandates of agencies under its jurisdiction. This he reminded would assist to harness the resources of the nation, and promote national prosperity and a dynamic self-reliant economy that would actualize the renewed hope of the present administration’s developmental agenda of ensuring an efficient transport system consistent with the socioeconomic objective of the constitution.
“In order to sustain this reality, the Ministry of Transportation must assume a leading role of improving the public transportation sector to support the numerous policies that are geared towards providing democratic dividends that are accessible to ordinary Nigerians through effective supervision of public transport that is secured, affordable and convenient across the country,” he concluded.