By Fatima Saka
The Ministers of Transportation, Hadi Sirika, its counterpart minister of Aviation, Mu’azu Sambo and experts have positioned themselves to rescue the Nigerian economy through the country’s various modes of transportation.
The assertion was made over the weekend in Abuja at the 2022 Seminar of the Abuja Transport and Aviation Correspondents Association, next month in the Federal Capital Territory, organized by ATACA with its industry partners to proffer necessary measures to tackle the country’s current economic quagmire.
With the theme: “Nigeria’s Troubled Economy: Aviation, Rail, Maritime As Rescue Sectors.”
The ATACA Chairman, Chris Agabi, the association explained that the seminar was to create an avenue for stakeholders to discuss strategies through which the transportation sectors would significantly impact and rescue the Nigerian economy.
According to Agabi, Chief Economic Adviser, Cross River State, who once served as Private Sector Specialist for the African Development Bank, Dr. Francis Ntamu, is the guest speaker at the all important seminar.”
He said the rise in Nigeria’s inflation coupled with the crash of the local currency against the United States dollar and the plunge in the country’s oil production due to massive oil theft, have led to economic instability nationwide.
Agabi said calls had been made for economic diversification and the need to explore other avenues of growing the nation’s earnings in order to address the instability in the economy.
“Experts have stated that the transportation sectors could support in rescuing the troubled economy if the right measures are adopted.
“It is therefore in this regard that a body of journalists covering the sector has deemed it necessary to engage the relevant stakeholders and industry players in both public and private sector to brainstorm on the way forward.”
The seminar also included presentations from the Nigerian Shippers Council, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Nigeria Ports Authority, Nigeria Railway Corporation, among others.
