Responding to concerns on the increasing cases of racketeering of passenger train tickets in Nigeria railway system, the Executive Director of Aulic Group, Prof. Nick Ezeh, who is also an expert in the transportation industry has said the government has no business selling train tickets.
Prof. Ezeh who was speaking Thursday at the 4th edition of Abuja Transport and Aviation Correspondents Association (ATACA) Annual Workshop, in Abuja. stressed that such should be left for the private sector to handle.
The workshop had the theme: Harnessing the Aviation, Railway, Marine and Blue Economy Sectors for Sustainable Transportation in Nigeria.
The expert said what the government needs to do is to create a transport system and ensure the system is working.
Meanwhile the Minister of Transportation, Sen. Said Alkali, disclosed that the Ministry has constituted a committee to investigate the irregularities.
This, Sen. Alkali said was a response to reports of some officials of the Abuja-Kaduna railway station exploiting passengers’ difficulties with the online booking platform to engage in ticket racketeering.
The Minister who was represented at the event by his Special Assistant, Technical Shuaib Damoaka, said the station manager has been redeployed, and another manager directed to take over with immediate effect to enable the committee to investigate the irregularities with high sense of objectivity and transparency.
“About three or four days ago, in response to the increasing complaints of irregularities and malpractice associated with e-ticketing in the railway stations, particularly Abuja-Kaduna route, the Minister has set up a committee to critically investigate the matter with very comprehensive terms of reference.
“He directed the committee to investigate and report within a period of two weeks and also urged the committee to make appropriate recommendations for administrative and quality measures that will be taken against any defaulter,” he said.
The Minister earlier, while delivering his keynote address called for effective media reportage that would market the essential services carried out by the transportation sector in supporting the economy.
He urged the media to remain committed, diligent and professional in discharging its role and to carry Nigerians along in appreciating the dynamics of the present administration’s transformative agenda of prioritising transportation as its governance strategy.
Delivering a lecture, President, Nigeria Bangladesh Business Technology Forum, Arc. Bob Achanya, who spoke on the ‘Nexus of Multimodal Transportation Systems’, noted that its strategic integration within Nigeria’s emerging blue economy framework offers unparalleled opportunities.
While noting that the aviation, railway, and marine sectors, when interconnected efficiently, will create a seamless and resilient transportation network, which will enhance connectivity, reduce transportation costs, and boosts the overall efficiency of the country’s logistics and supply chain systems.
Speaking on some ongoing projects within the sectors, Achanya said in the Aviation sector, we have the expansion of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos and the new terminals at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja; in the marine sector, we have the Lekki Deep Sea Port project, valued at $1.5 billion, which is a game-changer, poised to become the largest deep-sea port in West Africa; also, on the Blue economy, he noted that initiatives like the Nigeria-Kenya Integrated Blue Economy Strategy Forum and the proposed Nigeria-Kenya Blue Economy Transition Strategy Summit are all steps in the right direction.
In his welcome address, Chairman of ATACA, Leonard Oru called for more security measures to ensure the safety of the transportation system and business in Nigeria.
“For our transportation system and businesses, whether Air, Land or Sea to thrive, Security and Safety is key. Therefore, we implore Security agents, regulators and enforcers of the relevant laws to step up their game.
The workshop attracted various experts as well as journalists covering the Transportation and Aviation sectors in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
