Stakeholders at Nigeria Annual Transport Lecture 2021 Tackle Challenges Affecting Auto/Road Sector
TRANSPORTATION CRITICAL FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH says FRSC BOSS
…advised for proper utilisation of five modes of transportation
The 8th edition of Nigeria Annual Transport Lecture, Exhibition and Awards, with the theme: “Improving Nigeria Transportation System; The Way Forward” was well attended by stakeholders in the nation’s transport sector.
In his presentation, titled: Improving Nigeria Transportation System; The Way Forward, Corp Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi said transportation is critical for economic growth, but advised for proper utilisation of five modes of transportation including road, air, water, rail and pipeline. Oyeyemi said “No matter what we do; without transportation, we cannot move. Globally transportation is the biggest industry and it has continued to grow.”
Commending the present government on improvements in the transportation sector, the Corps Marshal added “the pressure is too much on the road. Fatality has been on the high. We used to have an average of 100 lives lost on the roads weekly. Speed is a major aspect that we need to address”.
Chairman, Governing Council, Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NIIT), Mr. John Onojeharho said the nation may be losing a whopping sum of N3.7 trillion annually from improper food storage. He raised the alarm while speaking on the topic titled: “Cold Chain Logistics,” he said the country would have saved such amount if proper food storage facility was in place. He added: “Nigeria is ranked 1 per cent in terms of cold chain management. The market is huge and if properly tapped, we can save $9 billion annually by avoiding food wastage through proper storage.” Onojeharho also said if the 15 million metric tonnes of perishable goods wasted annually were well preserved, inflation rate will drop and there would be drastic improvements in the economy. Informing that Nigeria ranks 110 out of 160 countries globally in the performance index of logistics, Onojeharho lamented that a lot of food products are lost due to bad storage system, advising that such anomaly should be addressed as food security is part of human existence.
According to him, Nigeria is lagging behind in terms of cold chain management just as he appealed for urgent need for stakeholders to invest in the cold chain sector to assist the diversification efforts of the present government.
The transport expert attributed poor cold chain logistics to lack of good road infrastructure, continuity of the cold supply chain, high capital investment, power supply amongst others. He, however, opined that efficient logistics are critical to economic growth and that when foods are properly preserved, it will bring about reduced wastage, increase income, create employment and add value to the products.
Also speaking, Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi commended Transport Day Newspaper stating that the government is leveraging the transport sector as a backbone to industrialise and diversify the nation’s economy.
The minister who was represented by Executive Director, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Mr Agbaji Francis said these efforts are evident of the rail subsector where 859 km of standard gauge rail lines have been constructed and commissioned for commercial use in the last five years.
He assured that the ministry is making efforts of implementing the 5 deliverables signed at the inception of the current administration of President Buhari-led government and is also striving to leave a significant legacy in the execution of its priority.
In his opening remarks, Publisher of Transport Day Newspaper, Frank Kintum said the Lecture which is in its 8th edition has helped to brainstorm on contemporary issues affecting the transportation industry.
Amongst the special guest present were the Director General of National Automotive Design and Development (NADDC), Mr. Jelani Aliyu who spoke via zoom commended the organizers of the event.
Others includes the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, Amb. Anthonia Ekpa; Director General/Chief Executive Officer of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN)Dr. Dikko Umaru Radda represented by Mr Yinka Fisher as well as the National President, Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs /Agents (ANLCA), and Mr. Tony Iju Nwabunike, Executive Secretary, Lubricants Producers Association of Nigeria (LUBON).