Dr. Segun Musa the publisher of the GTP Magazine.
Story by Dili Utomi.
The uncoordinated, underdeveloped and arduous nature of the transportation sector of the Nigerian economy has once again prompted a great concern in the form of the birth of a new transport magazine which had its launch take place Wednesday at the ambience of the hall of Marriott Hotel, Ikeja Lagos. The occasion was for dual purposes and the second part of it was the Annual Roundtable which had the theme: Transport Infrastructure And Strategic Policy Intervention: Building Blocks For Economic Growth.
The governor of Lagos State was represented by the commissioner for Transport, Oluwaseun Osinyemi and the Minister for Aviation was represented by Mr. Henry Agere. There were other dignitaries at the occasion such as Dr. Frederick Oladeinde, a former commissioner for Transport in Lagos State, the representative of the Chief of Naval Staff, Commodore RT Oladejo, the representative of the Inspector General of Police, Adegoke Fayoade, the Managing Director of Kaduna Line, Eng. Inuwa Ibrahim, the keynote speaker, Dr. Alban Igwe, Dr. Taiwo Olufemi Salam, Mr. Fola Tinubu, Dr. (Mrs) Ogochukwu Ugboma, Dr. Segun Obayande of the CILT, Dr. Abdul Adedotun and many others.
Dr. Alban Igwe making his presentation.
The publisher of the magazine is the intellectually savvy and fiery expert in the matters of Transport and Logistics, Dr. Segun Musa. He made an opening speech where he said that in dissecting the building blocks for economic growth through transport infrastructure, the critical role of connectivity should be examined.
His words “Connectivity goes beyond geographical boundaries, it integrates different regions into cohesve economic units. Whether it be roads, pipeline, railways, airways, or maritime routes, the seamless interconnectivity of transport networks fosters trade, spurs investment, and promotes the exchange of knowledge and expertise. By investing in last-mile connectivity, we can ensure that the benefits of economic growth are shared by all segments of society. Therefore, our first building block is the establishment of a comprehensive, multimodal transport system that enhances connectivity within and beyond our borders, stretching to neighboring countries to further amplify the benefits of African Continental Free Trade to boost intra-African trade”.
Lagos State Commissioner for Transport, Oluwaseun Osinyemi making the Governor’s presentation.
He added that “But beyond mere technological advancements, it is the development of policies that truly reinforces the success of intermodal transport in developed nations. Advanced governments recognise the imperative nature of fostering an enabling environment conducive to intermodal integration. They invest in infrastructure, enact enabling frameworks and incentivise collaboration between public and private stakeholders”.
Goodwill messages flowed. The president of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport of Nigeria, Dr. Segun Obayande said that the occasion is a laudable one and that “We cannot acheive all our set objectives in the sector if there is no proper Transport Policy in place and I think that the policy is overdue”.
Engineer Inuwa Ibrahim, MD Kaduna Line.
Commodore RT Oladejo of the Navy said that “The Nigerian Navy is well aware of this initiative, when you talk about the Blue Economy which is the exploitation of the resources within the Ocean for the benefit of the nation. What is critical therein is Maritime safety which the Navy is constitutionally obliged to provide, therefore, the Chief of Naval Staff that I represent promises to do all that is needed to provide the safe environment for the exploration and exploitation of the resources within the Oceans”.
Dr. Abdul Adedotun of UNILAG says that the institution is ready to continually develope the needed resources that will create opportunities within the Transport sector.
CP Adegoke Fayoade says that “The role of the Nigerian Police in the Transport Sector is very crucial. The Nigerian Police is saddled with the responsibilities of ensuring security within the sector which is vital to the economic development of the nation”.
Engineer Inuwa Ibrahim of Kaduna Line says that “Transportation plays a vital role in the economic development of a nation and contributes to the gross domestic product of any nation”. He added that his state has started the process of building the Kaduna bus rapid transit which may commence in 2027 and that they would soon have a Transport Policy.
Dr. Frederick Oladeinde suggested that a Transport Policy is urgently required to give direction to all operations within the sector and to engender healthy competition among cities, create better jobs and general improve the economy. He further opined that the use of technology and improved connectivity within the system would bring foreign investment into the sector.
Dr. Frederick Oladeinde making his contribution.
Presenting the paper on behalf of the Governor, Mr. Oluwaseun Osinyemi, Lagos State Commissioner for Transport said “As the Commercial hub of the Nation and a driving force in national development, Lagos State needed a well-articulated Transport Policy as a document that would guide its overall development; and ensure that specific transportation initiatives are integrated into an overall vision for economic and social development in order to achieve a sustainable, efficient, and reliable transportation system that is also attractive to investors and encourage public private partnership, a policy document needs to be put in place to protect all parties involved. Hence, a workable Transport Policy was developed to run seamlessly the implementation of our transportation master plan in line with this administration’s THEMES+ Agenda. This policy document when fully operational, will serve a number of functions”.
The representative of the Minister for Aviation, Mr. Henry Agere detailed some of the recent moves made by his principal to move the aviation sector forward. He aslo added that “In addition, my ministry has taken steps to review all the existing Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) that Nigeria has entered with other countries of the world. The aim is to ensure that the country benefits from the principle of reciprocity which is the hallmark of all BASAs. The outcome of this strategic move would not only improve connectivity, but also position Nigeria as a regional hub for air transportation”.
A cross section of participants.
The keynote address was made by Dr. Alban Igwe who dissected the present realities of the Nigerian Transport system. He opined that “Transport Policy is not a generic document that is not situated anywhere, you need to amplify the goals that you want to achieve”. He added that the hydra headed nature of the problems in Nigeria makes it extremely difficult to acheive certain goals like interconnectivity within the transportation systems.
He added that if you give the experts in the room a mere three months to come up with a transport policy, that they will do a very good job of it within the time, but that first the 4 Ps should be developed namely, public, private, proffessional, partnerships. He opined that a mix of all these will give the desired results within the transport sector as Nigeria is currently suffering from the problem of “transport poverty” with deficit infrastructure. Dr. Igwe concluded that Nigeria needs a “clearly integrated Transport Policy”.
A panel of discussants was put together to discuss the keynote address and a communique was drawn afterwards which include. That the various sectors of the Nigerian economy should be developed so that the good effects may be systematically felt.
The Magazine Launch.
That there is a great need for the Government to pay more attention to the development of the power sector because of its overall effect on the transport and other sectors of the Nigerian economy.
That all the agencies of Government involved in the provision of infrastructure and the enforcement of laws of the land should do their jobs very well and that corruption should be reduced to the barest minimum in order to bring about the desired development in the Nigerian society.
That there should be a nexus between what is taught about Transportation at the various Universities and what is obtained in our daily lives as Nigerians. That capacity building is very key in the development of the sector.
Crucially, it was agreed by all that since transportation is a means of achieving something, the Government should as a matter of urgency move to document a workable Transport Policy in order that the country may have the kind of developed sector and economy that is seen eslwhere.
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