CILT Tasks Buhari on Transport Policy

Sunday Okobi

The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) has tasked the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) on the provision of a national transport policy for the country.

It argued that the provision of a national transport policy would ensure that a “robust national transport system” is put in place for the country.

The National President of CILT, Nigeria, Major General Umar Usman (rtd), who stated this during the institute’s fellows and corporate members’ forum in Lagos, said that a robust transport policy would promote growth in the industry and enhance economic development.

“We have a problem in a situation where a country has no national transport policy, this is a challenge. We urge the incoming administration to ensure that first and foremost, Nigeria has a robust national transport policy. The moment the nation has a transport policy, all the problems associated with transport infrastructure will be addressed. Unfortunately, today in the country, roads are carrying far beyond their capacity and that is why we have dilapidated roads all over.

“The rail that is supposed to carry the weight off the roads is still epileptic because what we have is a narrow gauge. What this country needs today is a wide gauge that can be able to carry more and travel a longer distance. And of course issues that have to do with integration should be looked into. We do not have an integrated system. We need an integrated transport system.’’

He enjoined the new government to have right people in the right places to perform maximally.

The Deputy National President of CILT, Professor Kayode Oyesiku, who spoke to journalists on the sideline of the event, rated the nation below 25 per cent in logistics and transport system.

“If we are to rate our transport and logistics on a scale of 100, we are somewhere between 20 and 25 and the reason for this is very obvious. First is the state of our infrastructure, particularly the lack of intermodality of movement of goods and services. Nigeria is still absolutely dominated by road, which should not be and across the world it has not always been. The second problem is the extent of professionalism. There is no council of registration of those who can practice transport in Nigeria, there is no bill that has actually been approved that can foster the growth and development of the profession,’’ Oyesiku said.

He expressed regret that the 7th National Assembly has not passed the bill that was sponsored by the institute to tackle some of the challenges identified in the transport sector of the economy.

Chairman of the occasion, Mr. Dunoma Saleh, had earlier in his opening remarks, said that effective transport system had the capacity to move the economy of any country.

Saleh, who is also the Managing Director of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) said the the place of logistics and transport in the economy of any country is always at the centre-point of the economic template of any country.

According to Saleh, this goes to suggest that ethics and knowledge in the administration and running of logistics and transport operations in all its forms should be given prime attention. In an emerging economy like our own, we need to do more on traffic planning of our cities and city centres, as the issues of urbanisation and conurbation are fast overwhelming us.

The guest speaker, Sir Mike Jukwe, who delivered a lecture on “The role of freight forwarding in the supply chain and National Economy,’’ said that effective and efficient freight forwarding was critical to economic development.