From Idu Jude, Abuja
The federal government says that it is committed to playing a crucial role in the sustenance of the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Organisation (ALCO) in facilitating the free movement of goods and people among member countries.
The ALCO is an initiative of five coastal African countries of Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin Republic and Nigeria established in 2002 with the objectives of prevention, treatment, care and support on HIV/AIDS, as well as facilitation of trade and transport relations in line with the protocols of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The Minister of State for Transportation, Prince Ademola Adegoroye, while receiving the Secretary-General of ALCO, Mr Idrissa Kone, in his office in Abuja, saluted the vision of the founding fathers of the organisation, stressing that its advantages cannot be over-emphasised.
Adegoroye, who lauded the efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari in promoting regional integration in Africa, said Nigeria must do everything possible to sustain and improve on the initiative.
The minister then promised that the federal government will fulfil its outstanding commitments to the organisation, urging ALCO to also explore other sources of funding for its activities, especially regular collection of data.
Speaking earlier, the ALCO Secretary-General, Mr Idrissa Kone, said the organisation has recorded a lot of achievements along the corridor in the last 20 years of its existence, especially in the promotion of regional integration among the five member states.
Accompanied by the Programme Coordinator, Dr Abdel-Aziz Fagbemi, Kone urged the Nigerian government to work towards reducing the number of checkpoints and harassment of people by security agencies along the Nigerian border roads as this has constituted a major challenge to the free movement of people and goods.
Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Transportation, Prince Ademola Adegoroye, has promised to facilitate the support of the government to female professional and commercial drivers in the country.
The minister, who made the promise when he received the leadership of the Female Drivers Association of Nigeria (FEDAN) in his office in Abuja, said female commercial drivers are special and must be encouraged to flourish in their chosen profession.
Adegoroye said the Federal Ministry of Transportation will look into the request of the association to have female professional drivers employed in the ministry, stressing the need for government to give the needed recognition to female drivers.
Speaking earlier, the President of the association, Mrs Eunice Odeghe, said FEDAN was formed to bring all women professional drivers and automobile workers together under one umbrella to promote their interests and to deal with their challenges.
The association later decorated the minister as its patron.