The President of the Chartered Institute of Transport Administration of Nigeria (CIOTA) Dr. Bashir Jamoh has said that the signing into law the Act establishing CIOTA by President Muhammadu Buhari ushers in a new direction for the entire transport sector of Nigeria.
Dr. Jamoh who made this known at a press briefing on the current status of CIOTA and how the institute intends to carry out the functions vested on it by the Act.
It was on a day the members said they were hopeful the Apapa traffic situation will soon be a thing of the past if the right steps were taken to deal with it.
He stated that the primary aim of the body is to broaden and improve skills and experience of transport administrators for efficient management of the sector in the country.
According to the CIOTA President “ this institute is the pioneer chartered institute in the entire transport sector in Nigeria and in this light we would continue to set standards of practice in accordance with the law in order to perform functions that are necessary for the advancement of the institute and the transport management profession.”
Speaking of the strategic objectives that the institute would use to drive the advancement of the transport industry, Dr. Jamoh said that the institute would build a reputation of world class transport administration body by providing top notch study, training, certification and practice of transport management in Nigeria.
Commenting further, Jamoh said that the Institute will expand the transportation practice footprint across Nigeria by becoming a reputable institute nationwide based on the mandate of the act. He also said that CIOTA under his watch will establish partnerships and strategic alliances with target stakeholders which include Federal Ministry of Transportation and related MDAs in aviation, roads, rail, maritime, pipeline as well as Transport Labour Unions.
“ The six geopolitical zones will be duly covered to lead specific transportation related initiatives from water in the south-south to rail and inland in the north-west; roads in the east; north-central in kogi and Edo axis where a lot of mining is going on. We will also focus on pipelines, cable transport and aviation in the hub of the south-west”.
On what the transport body will do to the Apapa gridlock, Dr. Jamoh said Apapa is the major gateway to Nigeria’s economy and the Federal Government has already commenced the process of tackling the menace by putting palliatives in place.
He said CIOTA will contribute its own professional advice as to what the Government can do to rid Apapa and its environs of the congestion that is bedeviling the area.
Also in his remarks, the vice president of CIOTA, Dr. Oluropo Owolabi said that the Institute is ready to mobilize all within its powers to be able to impact on the development of the transport sector for Nigeria’s economic benefit.
This CIOTA bill was passed by both chambers of the 8th Assembly, according to a statement signed by Nnamdi Eronini, National Secretary, CIOTA.