Amaechi: It’s Time to Move Away from Blame Games

Kasim Sumaina in Abuja

Minister of Transportation, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi, on Tuesday disclosed that it was high time the current administration moved away from its constant apportioning of blame to past administrations.
Amaechi advised that it was time for the administration to get to work to achieve its mandate.
The minister made this declaration while receiving the report of the Inter-Ministerial Committee for the Finalisation of the Draft National Transport Policy (NTP).

According to Amaechi, “What we assure Nigerians is that under the Muhammadu Buhari administration, we would do everything possible to ensure that we maximise the resources that the president by way of budget releases to each ministry.”
He said: “I agree with those who said we should stop criticising the last government and that we should do our own.

He added: “We need to leverage on what we know. People are shouting intermodal transport; I went to the new airport in Singapore and I didn’t find one person at the airport. As you walk in, technology takes over.

 “Also, they said in the next few years, they would introduce driverless cars. We should also think outside the box about how to improve our transport sector and think less about how sun and moon affects the sector or building more bus stops.
“We should see how much investment we can put in the area of ICT. Intelligent transportation should not be ignored.”

Amaechi while speaking further, said: “Usually, people take experts’ contributions for granted but the fact is experts know better and if we don’t come to you, who would we go to?
“We will go through it and I will direct the Permanent Secretary to give a copy to the Minister of State for Aviation while I read a copy. Once we are through and we share our views, we will take it to cabinet for approval”.

He however, assured the committee that the next way forward concerning the policy implementation, saying: “I assure you that we would take the next step you want us to take.”
Earlier, the chairperson of the Committee, Mfon Usoro, hinted that the adoption of the policy would make Nigerian economy stronger.

He added that the adoption and implementation of the NTP by all tiers of government would lead to a stronger Nigerian economy and a profitable future for the entire transportation service sector and for the many sectors that rely on transportation in a diversified economy.

According to Usoro, “This final draft of the National Transport Policy contains a set of progressive, political ideas, goals and vision for a responsive, integrated and affordable transport system that is capable of meeting Nigeria’s current and future transport needs.”

She said: “We the individual of committee, individually and collectively attest to this draft NTP as a FEC-ready document and remain committed to defend its content.
“Our wish is for the document to receive an accelerated attention by the approval of the authorities,” Usoro concluded.