Nigeria, California Strengthen Ties in Transportation Sector.
The Honourable Minister of Transportation, Sen. Said Ahmed Alkali, has welcomed the Secretary of the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA), Toks Omishakin, to Nigeria. The visit aims to foster collaboration between Nigeria and the United States in the transportation sector.
Nigeria and the US have a long-standing cordial relationship since 1960, with the US supporting Nigeria’s efforts to strengthen democratic institutions and promote economic growth. The transportation sector plays a critical role in Nigeria’s development, contributing to the country’s GDP and facilitating the movement of goods and people.
The Federal Government has undertaken efforts to combat climate change, including the adoption of hybrid and CNG buses, and the promotion of non-motorized transportation. The government has also invested in railway projects, completing several lines, including the Abuja-Kaduna Rail line and the Lagos-Ibadan Double Track Standard Gauge Railway.
Alkali said the Ministry of Transportation is open to knowledge sharing, capacity building, and collaborative investments, particularly with California, which has a multimodal transportation system. Opportunities for bilateral cooperation, investment in CNG mass transit business, and provision of inter-state and intra-state train services are being explored.
The California State Transport Agency Team was piloted to visit the Federal Transportation Ministry by the Chairperson of the Nigeria Diaspora Commission, Hon. Abike Dabiri who stated whatever good the Nigeria Diasporas have to offer must be channelled to get to the country.
She declared that Tokunbo Odusakin is one of the bright stars of Nigeria operating in the best heights of the world.
The California State Transport Agency Team, which was coming in straight from Kenya, was composed of the Senior Adviser on Transportation to California Transport Agency, Giles F. Giovinazzi and Prof. Aditya Ramji, the Director of Global South Clean Transportation Centre, Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Davis.
Heads of Agencies of the Transportation Ministry were also present to meet with the California State Transport Agency Team. These include the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Transportation, Daura (FUTD), Prof Umar Adam Katsayal, mni; the Acting Managing Director of Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), Engr. Ben Iloanusi; Dr. Bayero Farrah, the Director General of the Nigeria Institute of Transport Technology (NITT), Dr. Nkiruka Madueke of the National Council on Climate Change who represented the Honourable Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abass Lawal.
While speaking earlier, the California Secretary of Transportation, Tokunbo Odusakin revealed that the objective of the visit of the California-Africa partnership, a project of the State of California is to look for partners across the African continent, and focusing on Nigeria may just enhance that.
He acknowledged that the vast opportunities in sustainable public transportation, policy and technical exchange opportunities in Nigeria can be leveraged on.
Odusakin requested for further meetings with the Honourable Minister of Transportation, the Ministry’s transportation team to plan out the California Climate and Trade Delegation Summit scheduled to hold in 2025.
While he weighed in on the proposal for possible partnership, the Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Transportation, Professor Umar Adam Katsayal requested for exchange programmes that would foster capacity development and skill acquisition between candidates from FUTD and the Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Davis.
He considered this collaboration as a veritable platform through which the citadel will enhance skill acquisition and capacity development by Nigerian Scholars, students, and staff of FUTD to bridge skills and capacity gap in Nigeria.
The Director General, National Institute of Transport Technology (NITT), Dr. Farah Bayero, in his intervention, identified skills gap prevalent amongst Nigerian technicians.
To him, NITT has keyed into the clean energy project of the Federal Government, in actively engaging in the conversion of vehicles from running on premium motor spirit (PMS) to compressed natural gas (CNG) with 9 centres currently engaged in this process across the country.
“Developing the capacity of e-vehicles (EVS) technology is also underway by the Institute.” Bayero solicited collaboration and support from the CalSTA to realise these ideals.
On his part, the Acting Managing Director of Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), Engr. Ben Iloanusi, stated that the NRC has achieved the retrofitting of some of its locomotives and test run these on the Abuja-Kaduna rail corridor; the Corporation seeks to introduce this admixture of diesel-Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) technology across existing rail corridors. This technology, he said, is not only clean and environmentally friendly, but also cost-efficient. The NRC, he said, is open to partnership and collaboration to a full-fledged deployment of this technology nationwide.
Umar Alkali Jibril, Special Assistant, Media and Publicity.
Office of the Honourable Minister of Transportation.