By Richard Adeniyi
There has been a call on the Federal Government to consider as a matter of urgency the promulgation of a national transport policy for Nigeria.
President of the Institute, Major-General Umar Usman (Rtd) gave the call at Institute’s Professional’s Dinner and Award Night held at the Sheraton Hotel, Lagos. Usman, who is also the vice-president for Africa made a strong appeal to both members of the National Assembly to urgently consider the passing of the National Transport Policy Bill which has been languishing in both houses for some time now.
The chairman of the event, Chief Adebayo Sarumi, FCILT, OFR, who is President, Nigeria Chamber of Shipping commended the performance of the SIFAX Group, an indigenous concessionaire under whose umbrella is Ports and Cargo Handling Services Limited, which took over Terminal ‘C’ of the Tin Can Island Port in 2006.
Expatiating further, Chief Sarumi said that he was happy that the confidence reposed on the SIFAX Group as an indigenous concessionaire is being rekindled as the Logistics and Transport Professionals won an award as the “Most Notable Innovative Maritime Operator.”
The Hon. Commissioner for Transportation in Lagos State, Dr. Ekundayo Mobereola, who is also member of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, said Logistics and transport are known to be catalyst for development and have been the drivers for improved Logistics Performance Index, LPI, with which the efficiency of “nation’s” international trade are measured.
He said that with reference to Nigeria, and with our huge population, “government at all levels are conscious of the need to improve on our ease of urban mobility, in the physical distribution of goods, locally manufactured and imported cargoes and the ease of packaging, consolidating and transporting for export and agricultural and industrial goods.”
He disclosed that the Lagos State government is already looking for stepping up the service delivery at our roads, waterways, and standard railways in addition to other options like cable car mode.
He also revealed that Lagos State government is already looking at all feasible options within best practice horizon to improve “in our logistic and transport systems, beginning with infrastructural improvements.
On the perennial traffic jam, in some of Lagos State roads, the state Commissioner said that “we are looking at a partnership with members of the private sector with all options on the table,” he concluded.
The highlight of the occasion was the conferring of the Most Outstanding Transport Journalists Chapel on Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (MARAN); The Most Notable Innovative Maritime Operator – SIFAX Group; Terminal Operators Night Limited Award – Ports and Terminal Operators Nigeria Limited (PTOL); Outstanding Free Zone Integrated Hub Capacity Building Firm for Deep Water Oil and Gas, Exploration, Manufacturing and Engineering Services – Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics Base (LADOL), and several others.