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From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The Federal Government has revealed that the Nigerian road Transformation programme will soon be unveiled to regulate the road transport system across the country.
Speaking on Monday at an International Conference organized by the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT) in Abuja, Minister of State for Transportation, Gbemisola Saraki, said that the road transport system in Nigeria was unregulated.
Saraki, who represented Minister of Transformation, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, noted: “It is common knowledge that the road is largely unregulated, however, the Road Transport Transformation Programme is on course, and a draft Executive Order (EO) is being fine-tuned by Committee of stakeholders to drastically transform the current narrative of the road subsector.
“Government has upgraded the road stock by deploying innovative funding approaches for strategic road projects which include: the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) which is investing over a billion dollars in three flagship projects: the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, the Second Niger Bridge, Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Expressway and the Highway Development and Management Initiative (HDMI),” she stated.
Speaking earlier, Director General of NITT, Dr Bayero Salih, admitted that infrastructure deficits in the transportation sector in the country, calling on private sector participation to close the gap.
“There is an urgent need to explore the option of private participation in the funding of transportation infrastructure development. This is one way of addressing the current transport infrastructure deficit in the country.
“Transport infrastructure is widely seen as an enabling industry that facilitates national, regional and international integration and trade. An effective transport system promotes competitiveness, market accessibility and economic growth,” he stated.
