By Ade Jacobs
Former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd.), would chair the second National Transport Summit of the Chartered Institute of Transport Administration of Nigeria (CIoTA), starting today in Abuja.
This disclosure was made by the national president of CIoTA and Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh.
Dr. Jamoh said the summit would bring together industry stakeholders, who would brainstorm on the way forward for the transport sector.
According to the NIMASA boss, the conference’s areas of focus include rail network, highways and bridges, deep seaports, and airport concession agreements.
He described the building of inland ports as a hybrid of innovation and technology for extending the hinterland ports, stating that the rebuilding of Nigeria’s transport infrastructure is on-going on many fronts.
“There are enormous challenges in the effort to develop the transportation sector in the country. These include funding, public-private partnership (PPP) arrangements, institution building, and, lately, COVID-19, which increased the risks of transportation globally.
“The summit will address these issues, using the expertise and rich industrial experience of the speakers, discussants, and active audience participation.”
Those expected at the summit include the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi; Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika; Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola; Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mohammed Musa Bello; and Minister of State for Transportation, Senator Gbemi Saraki, among others.
Jamo said the summit is an opportunity to build on the gains of the maiden edition held in December last year.
He assured that CIoTA, the foremost and exclusive chartered body backed by legislation to drive the transportation sector in Nigeria, would continue to contribute to the development of sustainable transport infrastructure in the country.
The Institute would also address inter-connectivity challenges and funding issues across the sector, Jamoh stated.