From Uche Usim and Nsisong Morgan, Abuja
The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi, yesterday, called on the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and National Economic Council (NEC) to approve the pending National Transport Policy (NTP) document to enhance the growth of the sector.
He made the call during a seminar organised by the Abuja Transport and Aviation Correspondents Association (ATACA) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Transportation. The Minister, who was represented by the Director of Communications at the Ministry, Susanna Niiraara, lamented that the transportation sector since independence does not have an approved NTP to coordinate and drive the growth of the sector.
He stated: “Inter-ministerial committee involving relevant stakeholders was set up to handle the issue of NTP document, which is before FEC. I am pleading with FEC to do due diligence and ensure that it is approved.”
Amaechi, who spoke on the theme, “ Forging a Resilient Transportation Industry in Nigeria”, also disclosed that the Ministry had taken a holistic approach to develop the sector by way of evolving specific strategies aimed at revamping and making the various sub-sectors of the transportation industry self-sustaining.
He added that the legal and regulatory frameworks to build a strong rail sub-sector, aviation, inland waterways marine (coastal trade) and other sub-sectors using specific human capacity building strategy, were the cardinal point in 2015.
The Minister also noted that the development of the transportation sector was cardinal to the economic recovery strategy of the present administration.
He further revealed that if the inland waterways sub-sector strategy was properly harnessed over time, it would boost the growth of the nation. He, however, stressed that the Ministry was working hard to ensure the improvement of the nation’s category rating at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), noting that the process of the formulation of the National Maritime Transportation Policy was ongoing.
On the National Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (NERGP), Amaechi maintained that each sector is to cascade down their Medium Term Sector Implementation Plan 2018-2020, adding that the Federal Government has set out projects and programmes to generate funds in the NERGP sector implementation plan.