The Minister of Transportation, Muazu Jaji Sambo, had said that the Federal Government is set to generate 21 million full-time jobs and lift 35 million Nigerians out of poverty by 2025.
Speaking at a ministerial retreat in Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State, Sambo said the transportation sector was setting the stage for achieving the government’s commitment of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years.
He said infrastructural gaps that exist in the sector necessitated the development of the National Development Plans, Medium-Term Development Plans 2021-2025 and a Long-Term Plan called the Nigeria Agenda 2050.
“This is to invest massively in infrastructure, ensure macroeconomic stability, enhance the investment environment, improve living conditions and implement climate change mitigation. This will generate 21 million full-time jobs and lift 35 million people out of poverty by 2025, thus setting the stage for achieving the government’s commitment of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years.
“The plans are aimed at accelerating the growth of the transportation sector in the country with a strategic medium-term vision statement, which is to have an effective, intermodal, safe, reliable, affordable and sustainable transportation system contributing positively to the growth of the Nigerian economy,” he said.
He said the policy thrusts to drive the vision include improving safety and transportation security, collaboration and synergy amongst transportation stakeholders. Others are professionalism and human capacity building, strengthening institutional governance and regulation and multimodal infrastructural development.
“I am well aware that you are all conversant with these high-level goals, as they have become a blueprint for tracking performance towards the delivery of our mandates, addressing the bottlenecks militating against the growth of the transportation sector and stimulating domestic growth.
“The key policy initiatives and reform programmes for the sector are implementation of the 25 year railway modernisation programme, the ports master plan and inland waterways transportation development. Others are the Nigerian transportation master plan, tarrifs and costs, creation of private sector led national fleet and manpower capacity development,” the Minister said.
