By Ummi Ismaeel,
Minna
The Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) has called on the federal and state governments to partner with it to check the spread of Corona Virus (COVID19) which has claimed its first Nigerian casualty, the former MD of the PPMC, late Suleiman Achimugu.
Members of the RTEAN are always and in direct contact with travelers traversing across the length and breadth of Nigeria, with proper collaboration the members can serve as good control post against further spread of the disease.
National Secretary of RTEAN, Abdullahi Mohammed Jabi, said with proper planning, enlightenment and collaboration his members could serve as corridors whereby victims could be detected and isolated from other Nigerians while on transit.
“The RTEAN as major stakeholder is open for collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, the Ministry for Humanitarian and Social Development and other relevant agencies to detect victims being an association that comes in direct contact with carriers of the virus”.
Jabi also asked the government to sponsor the training of his members, provide them with all the relevant kits and subsidy to cover for the drivers to provide for the economic loss to incur as a result of reduction in the number of passengers members carry to avoid overcrowding capable of increasing chances of the spread.
“The RTEAN controls the land movements of persons hence we are asking the government to provide us with the necessary kits including; hand gloves, nose kits, face masks, hand guns, temperature measurement devices so that we can check carriers of the virus at points of take-off to various destination”.
Jabi however urged the government to provide quarantine facilities along major routes, stressing, “the RTEAN, which transports goods and services to all nooks and crannies of the country, is ready to partnering with the government to check carriers of corona virus on the course of their duties.” Also, the RTEAN Secretary General said road transportation, the predominant mode of movements if provided with COVID 19 testing kits for officials across the 774 Local Government Councils will go a long way in checking the spread of the disease.
