Lagos mulls collaboration with NITT on data base development

The Lagos State Government has disclosed its plan to launch the Lagos State Transport Policy when the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT) paid a courtesy visit to the Ministry of Transport in its collaboration drive to develop a more responsive and comprehensive Multi-modal Transport System that gives the people of Lagos State more options.

The Commissioner for Transportation Dr. Frederic Oladeinde revealed this recently while receiving the Director General of NITT, who led other management staff on a courtesy visit to the Ministry from Zaria, Kaduna State, saying there is need for the institute to partner with the Lagos State Government on the development of a more climate friendly transport sector.

Oladeinde disclosed that the fundamental goal of the Lagos State transport policy is to project an Integrated Multi-modal transport system that is safe, adequate, reliable, comfortable, efficient, environmentally sound, and affordable within the framework of a progressive and competitive market economy. He added that transportation is seen as the engine of any economy and must therefore be resilient and the various options must be connected.

The Transport Commissioner reiterated that the State transportation requirements are driven by the State’s Strategic Transport Master Plan prepared by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, (LAMATA).

‘As a Ministry, we have preserved the plan and ensured that policies supporting the Traffic Management and Transportation help deepen the implementation of the Strategic Transport Master Plan, as such, collaboration with NITT in developing evidence based research using real data to drive the policy is a welcome idea’ Oladeinde affirmed.

Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation Engr. Abdulhafiz Toriola restated that reforming the transport sector is paramount to the present administration, saying the Government is investing in water and rail transport, to reduce the number of private vehicles on the road and encourage people to embrace other means of transportation .

He mentioned that the government is further restructuring and repositioning its Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) adding that the Ministry will be willing to partner with NITT in further training of the Traffic Management Personnel on incident management to improve their efficiency in managing traffic.

Explaining the purpose of the courtesy visit, the Director General of the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT) Dr. Bayero Salih Farah stated that the institute has the statutory responsibility to professionalize the Nigerian transport sector through training and re-training of workforce and also to conduct research that will inform policy direction and development.