The federal government on Tuesday appealed to all relevant agencies within the Transport sector to cooperate with Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT) by regularly supplying necessary data for storage, processing and dissemination so as to make Smart National Transport Databank project successful.
The Minister of Transportation, Senator Said Alkali hinted that since assumption of office, he made the project a top priority, saying it was his desire to give maximum support to its success.
Alkali gave the disclosed this at the One-day stakeholders’ engagement forum on Smart National Transport Databank, organised by the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT) Zaria, in Abuja, with the theme; “The Strategic Importance of Smart National Transport Databank in Socio-economic Development of Nigeria”.
Also, the Director General/Chief Executive, NITT, Dr. Bayero Farah assured Nigerians that the Smart National Transport Databank project will bring the country enormous and the return on investment (ROI) that can be very substantial, considering the high demand for transportation services in the country.
He noted that the Smart Transport Databank infrastructure is capital intensive and requires state-of-the arts technologies.
According to him, The theme of this forum is chosen taken cognisance of the Institute’s previous efforts towards the establishment of a functional National Transport Databank (NTD) for the benefit of the Nation’s transport and logistics sector, as well as for National Economic development.
Farah said the public sector alone cannot cope with the required capital outlay to achieve the project for the whole nation in view of competing demands of resources from other sectors of the National Economy.
“This therefore calls for collaboration and cross pollination of ideas and material resources. It was this that motivated the institutes to look for investors through a Public Private Partnership (PPP), as enshrined in relevant laws of the federation.
“What is most critical for achieving a multimodal Smart National Transport Databank is not only political will on the part of the public sector; but the business will of the private sector.
“The presence of both private and public interests at this occasion is a demonstration of that needed will, and if sustained we will go a long way to sustain the delivery and implementation of this project for the benefit of our Nation and human kind.”