Nigeria must take transportation as if it is a religion in order to achieve the objective of transforming the sector to drive economic growth, experts have advocated.
President of the Chartered Institute of Transport Administration of Nigeria (CIOTA), Prince Segun Obayendo, stated this in Lagos during the South West conference with the theme, ‘The Role of Transport and Logistics in Sustainable Development’.
Obayendo stated that Nigeria has not taken its transportation sector seriously to galvanise ample economic activities, noting that the country has a long way to go in entrenching a transportation model driven by application of modern technologies.
“We need to take the transformation of our transportation sector like a religion. We need to be religious with it,” he said.
Obayendo, who is the pioneer of the computerised vehicle inspection system, added that “We need to deploy technologies maximally.”
He said deepening the regulatory framework and professionalism are key in improving the transportation environment.
“I want to tell us that until we see transportation as our religion, we may not be able to make the progress we need. You can’t call yourself a transporter without subjecting yourselves to regulations.
“When you look at what you go through before getting your certification to drive in London, you would not joke with your licence. We make stringent conditions for entry and exit in the transportation sector. The sector must be highly regulated for sustainable development to happen,” he added.
The Director, Centre for Multimodal Studies, University of Lagos, Prof. Iyiola Oni, said transportation and logistics are the lifeblood of any economy.
He expressed concern that there is no form of regulations at the local government level as most of the road networks are concentrated in the local government areas.
He said the high cost of transportation was responsible for the high cost of products in the market.
A former Commandant of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Group Capt. John Ojikutu, said the transportation system in Nigeria requires urgent reform.
The chairman of CIOTA, Lagos State, Dr Taiwo Salaam, said without an efficient and sustainable transportation system, Nigeria’s aspiration for economic growth will “remain a mere aspiration.”
Stakeholders in the maritime, railway and road sectors including the Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA); Ogun Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Authority (TRACE), many transport unions attended the forum.
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