Communique of the 3rd National Transport Summit

Held On 6th – 8th, December 2021 at The Shehu Musa Yar’adua Centre Abuja.

INTRODUCTION

The 3rd National Transport Summit organized by the Chartered Institute of Transport Administration (CIOTA) with the theme ‘’REGULATING THE TRANSPORT SECTOR IN NIGERIA THE STATE OF THEART AND THE YEARS AHEAD’’. The summit was attended by stakeholders in the Nigeria transportation sector comprising of policymakers, industry practitioners, the academia, and members of the international community. The Programme was chaired by His Excellency, The Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Professor Yemi Osibanjo, GCON who was ably represented by the Hon. Minister of Transport, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, CON: The keynote address was presented by the President of the Institute, Dr. Bashir Yusuf Jamoh, there were nine plenary papers with panel of discussants and Goodwill messages from transport agencies, parastatals, and the organized private sector.

Resolutions: Topical papers were delivered by experts on regulating the transport sector in Nigeria. The summit among other things resolved as follows:

1. CIOTA as a leader in the Transport Sector with a mandate to train and certify transport professionals; in the summit, resolved that it should exercise its statutory powers to regulate and control the professional practice in transport management in tertiary institutions and other related colleges and institutes.

2. That the government and its agencies should liaise with CIOTA on standard practices in determining knowledge and skills to be attained by persons seeking to practice as Transportants.

3. That the Minister of Transport and government should intervene in providing a platform on which the transportation sector will serve the needs of society and the economy by agreeing on the established regulation/policy and institutional framework of CIOTA in the establishment of Cadre in the transport sector, ministries, and institutions.

4. That government should create an Authority that will attract the private sector to enable individuals to build infrastructure in the transport sector across all modes in a PPP arrangement for encourage healthy competition in the transport market and retaining ownership in the public interest.

5. That government should work with CIOTA to provide Technical and Economic Regulatory framework for the inland waterways sector such as Inland Waterways Bill and the National Transport Commission Bill enabling private sector participation. Also create institutions such as the National Transport Commission, National Road Board, and Federal Road Authority Bills.

6. That there is need to regulate E-hailing operations and electric hybrid vehicles by creating a regulatory Authority for its operations and agrees that there is need to create technological innovation, regulations, and standard for vehicular emission to promote Greenhouse energy.

7. That there is need to unbundle the Nigeria Railway Corporation by allowing the reforms to take place to provide adequate, safe, reliable, and efficient rail transport service.

8. That, rather than making technical inspection of vehicles a revenue generation scheme, it should be more focused on promoting safety on the road.

9. The summit advises that the National Transport Council should be held yearly and that every state should domesticate the technical and economic regulations policies from such meeting in their already existing transport agencies to enforce transport laws and regulations across modes in the country.

10. The summit agrees that since pipeline is a mode of transportation, it therefore advises that it should be moved to the Ministry of Transport for regulation, even if it means creating a division for it within the ministry.

11. There is need for capacity building in the areas of seafarers and maritime transport and logistics, maritime economics and finance, operations and maritime related program that would aid the regulation and policy making in the maritime industry.

12. In other to promote strategic regulation and policy in the transport sector, there is need to enhance international corporation and partnership involving professional bodies from other countries, governments, regional bodies, industries, associations, companies, academia, and research institutions.

13. The summit advises government to note that Pipeline Structures should have right of way that will not be encroached upon and the summit also advises that old pipes should be revived by changing them from metal pipes to PVC pipes to avoid drinking rusted water. The summit further recommends the need for government to focus fully on technical regulations of pipelines regarding safety, not only on Oil and Gas and step up Economic regulations of pipelines and the location of tank farms in the six geopolitical zones to reduce the cost of distribution of petroleum products over long distances by road to avoid accidents.

14. The summit agrees on the need to step up the level of regulation on the road transport sector to promote safety and efficiency on the road.

15. That CIOTA must go beyond communiqué to push forward its decisions to the authorities that will implement them. The conference therefore mandates CIOTA executives to meet with the President, Vice President; Minister of Transport and Minister of Works to present the communiqués and discuss how to implement it. This also should be replicated at the state level.

16. That CIOTA should bring to Government the importance of Last Mile transportation at all Railway Stations in Nigeria.

17. That CIOTA needs to be involved in the main streaming of policy and budgetary development as it concerns transport industry in the country.

18. That cities from different states should showcase what they are doing in transport industry in the next AGM.

19. That CIOTA should intensify efforts to work with government in funding regulatory bodies in the Road transport Sector, in view of the enormity of available revenues that can be collected in road transport.

20. That urban transport services should be corporatized to have few owners and create efficiency in the system.

21. That CIOTA should device ways to integrate the non-state actors in the transport sector into its activities.

22. That CIOTA should benchmark their achievements yearly.

23. That CIOTA should float a very strong academic journal to be anchored in the web sponsored by transport agencies (NCAA, FAAN, NAMA, NRC, NIWA, NIMASA, NPA) and as well urged NIMASA to accommodate CIOTA on their Friday Television Programme and that CIOTA should create a department or section for research and development.

24. The summit also urges government on the need to document and harmonize previous regulations of the National Council of Transport (NCT) for the last 10 years to evaluate implementation for CIOTA to device a way forward.

25. That Government should not construct roads without the inputs of the ministry of transport in each state and recommends that transport infrastructure contracts should follow the established procedures based on best practices.

26. That the government, with the help of ministry of works should provide signages and stop over convenience facilities on the federal and state roads in the country.

27. Also, it was agreed that CIOTA should push for the establishment of a Transport Bank to help in transport investment.

28. Further, it was recommended that the NRC should provide park and ride facilities within the railway stations that cut across the corridors. Also, government should make provision for security to safeguard the rail transport infrastructure, and

29. That CIOTA should partner with the NRC, Federal government, and ICRC to improve professionalism in the transport system.

Signed

President/Chairman of Council,

The Chartered Institute of Transport Administration of Nigeria