Nigerian Govt Assures On Environmental Friendly, Renewable Energy Transport System

Minister of Transport, Senator Saidu Alkali

AYANTUGA ALABA OMOLOLU

The Nigerian government says it will adopt a multi-pronged approach to accelerate the adoption of sustainable and environmentally friendly transport solutions in the country.

The Minister of Transport, Senator Saidu Alkali, said this while delivering a speech at the opening of the executive session of the 18th National Transport Council Conference in Abeokuta on Friday.

He said the conference would help deliberate on key transport issues to align the sector with President Bola Tinubu’s “Agenda of Renewed Hope”.

According to him, there is a need to modernize the country’s transportation systems by pushing the frontier of green manufacturing and industrialization and focusing on natural gas as a transition fuel alongside other renewable energy sources.The minister said prioritizing innovative technologies in the transport sector would help mitigate energy challenges, while it was important to promote sustainability and economic growth.

“Another transportation solution is to generate innovative and transformative initiatives for the development of new renewable energy sources and smart city concepts.”

“Consciously prioritize budget allocation to address energy challenges and provide incentives to attract private sector investment in decarbonization and other alternative technologies,” he said.

Alkali further said that in recent years, the Federal Government has demonstrated its commitment to implementing policies and strategies to develop a safe, affordable and sustainable transportation system.

He said that the Federal Ministry of Transport has achieved remarkable technological advancement that will lead to an environmentally friendly and economical transport solution in the country.Alkali noted that the ministry has developed a national surface transport policy that comprehensively addresses components such as alternative energy and climate change.

“This draft policy is 80 percent complete and we hope to invite you all to exchange ideas and finalize the draft.” “The policy must then be forwarded to the Federal Executive Board for approval,” he said.

The minister, however, praised the state government’s efforts to promote multimodal transport and to work towards the direction of the electromobility and gas mobility projects.

Reiterating that an efficient transportation system continues to be a victory for all endeavors of human life, he said it is the responsibility of each individual to innovate and utilize new technologies in the transportation ecosystem.

In his remarks, Governor Dapo Abiodun said the theme of the conference showed that the sector was fully aware of the current challenges, realities and constraints and was ready to offer sustainable solutions.