Group Urges FG to Replicate Abuja Integrated Transport System in States

By Kasim Sumaina

The federal government has been advised to as a matter of urgency replicate the Abuja Integrated Transport System in other parts of the nation to make the subnational governments attractive to investors.

The Group, Afri-China Media Centre, noted that government across board investment in transport infrastructure is where the future and economic growth lies.

The Executive Director, Afri-China Media Centre, Mr. Ikenna Emewu, disclosed this recently at the public presentation of a book on Abuja Integrated Mass Transport System in Abuja.

Emewu said the integrated transport system that has been put in Abuja by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) has become a standard.

According to him, “with a population of about 200 million people and target of growing her economy, it would be futile that Nigeria relies on just road transport to ease movement of people and goods, with a focus on growing the economy. It wouldn’t lead the country anywhere towards economic advancement.”

The document he reveal, highlights some of the projects that were built by CCECC and the federal government through financing agreement with the China EXIM Bank.

The projects include the railway linking Abuja to Kaduna; the Abuja metro railway service that was completed in 2018 and the new Abuja airport terminal.

He stated further that the integrated mass transport project is a prove that Abuja has set out on the course of growth and economic expansion in tourism, services, retailing and distribution, hospitality, healthcare, education and other aspects of the economy.

Noting the gains associated with the integrated mass transportation in Abuja, he said, “Some other cities of the nation would be on their way to economic growth if the same integrated system is worked out there.

“Such provision would tremendously change the narrative in traffic congestion that has been a crisis in a city like Lagos with over 20 million residents.”

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