Mr Dakuku Peterside, Director-General, Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency(NIMASA), has advised the Chartered Institute of Transport Administration of Nigeria(CIoTA), to ensure transformation of the transport sector of the country.
Peterside spoke on the sideline of the on-going maiden National Transport Summit in Abuja. The Summit is organised by CIoTA.
“One thing CIoTA must get right is to establish clearly, minimal knowledge requirements to operate in the sector, especially in transport administration.
”Things are changing at a rapid rate, you cannot use the tools of yesteryears to fight today’s war.
”CIoTA must invest her time in research so that Nigerians are up-to-date with development in the transport sector and transport administration.
”CIoTA should be at the fore front of advocating technological changes that will minimise the negative impact of transportation on the environment.
”The institute also owes Nigerians the responsibility of protecting the interest of those who use transportation services in the country.”
According to the NIMASA boss, before now, those who administered transportation did not have any set training standard, or standard of knowledge required of them.
He said that there was also nobody empowered by Law to regulate the standard of knowledge needed to operate in the sector.
He, however, commended President Muhammadu Buhari’s led administration for ensuring an institute empowered by an Act of the National Assembly to regulate and provide knowledge required in the sector.
According to Peterside, the major challenges of the sector are inconsistency, lack of investment in infrastructure and human capacity.
He urged stakeholders to ensure that the necessary investments was attracted to the transportation sector to boost funding, infrastructure, human capacity and coordination of efforts.
“Those are the things we need to do and all Nigerians, especially those who understand the transport sector, must strive toward improving the sector,” he said.
”But, are we making the right investments? are we building the right capacity? I think that in the recent past, we have not been making sufficient investment,” Peterside lamented.
