The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has raised the alarm over the financial affect of insecurity and cargo diversion on Nigeria’s transport sector, estimating that transporters and logistics operators lose greater than N15tn annually to unsafe highways and associated disruptions.
The chamber has consequently referred to as on the Federal and State governments to develop a 10-year built-in public transportation and transit infrastructure plan to handle insecurity, enhance highway security and strengthen the nation’s logistics community.
The Chairman of the LCCI Auto and Automotive Components Sectoral Group, Dr Femi Eguaikhide, disclosed this whereas delivering a keynote paper on the thirtieth anniversary of On The Highway and Road Annual Lecture in Lagos.
The occasion had the theme, ‘30 Years on the Highways: Safety, Security and Sustainability – From Bad Roads to CNG Revolution.’
Eguaikhide, who can also be Deputy Managing Director of RT Briscoe Nigeria Plc, mentioned insecurity had develop into a serious menace to transportation and logistics companies, imposing substantial monetary losses on operators and disrupting the motion of passengers and cargo throughout the nation.
He argued that sustainable mobility would stay troublesome to obtain when business drivers had been afraid to journey at evening and passengers felt unsafe at bus stops and transport terminals.
According to him, Nigeria’s transportation issues prolong past highway building, because the absence of an built-in public transportation system continues to undermine effectivity, security and comfort.
He mentioned the nation had continued to rely on imported fairly-used buses and routine pothole repairs three a long time after the annual freeway lecture started, with out making adequate progress in direction of an interconnected transportation community.
He additionally blamed the dearth of coordination amongst transportation tasks applied by the Federal, State and Local governments for the persistent inefficiencies within the sector.
To reverse the state of affairs, Eguaikhide proposed a 10-year devoted public transit infrastructure plan, together with the development of 1,000 kilometres of devoted transit lanes and 50 fashionable interchange hubs throughout Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt and Enugu, with non-public sector participation.
He mentioned: “An built-in system will allow commuters to transfer seamlessly between buses, rail providers and last-mile transportation by interconnected terminals and a unified cost platform.
“Also, a shift from the traditional reliance on police checkpoints to technology-driven security arrangements, will improve the safety of passengers, drivers and cargo operators without unnecessarily disrupting commercial activities.”
He beneficial the deployment of Closed-Circuit Television cameras and satisfactory lighting at transport terminals, necessary GPS monitoring and panic buttons in business buses, in addition to cashless fare assortment to scale back the dangers related to carrying money.
He additional proposed the institution of a National Secure Corridor Command to join the Federal Road Safety Corps, the police and personal fleet operators for improved freeway surveillance and emergency response.
The LCCI sectoral group chairman additionally advocated tax incentives to encourage transport operators to undertake cashless ticketing techniques and put money into fashionable transport applied sciences.
On power transition, he mentioned Nigeria’s transportation future relied on the adoption of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and electric-powered autos.
According to him, the transition would assist scale back working prices, preserve international change and stimulate native automotive manufacturing.
Also talking on the occasion, a former Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Prof. Bamidele Badejo, referred to as for a reorientation of motorists and different highway customers to enhance security on Nigerian highways.
Badejo lamented that the nation continued to document preventable highway hazards, warning that the state of affairs would persist with out deliberate efforts to change the attitudes and behavior of drivers.
He mentioned a survey performed throughout the South-West indicated that many business drivers operated below strain to meet every day monetary targets and allowances, a state of affairs that inspired dangerous driving and elevated accident publicity.
He referred to as for acceptable financing buildings from monetary establishments to assist motorists and transport operators, arguing that entry to appropriate financing would scale back the monetary strain on drivers and assist enhance highway security.
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