Sambo says Transport Ministry would generate 21m jobs to complement FG’s plan of lifting 100 m Nigerians out of poverty

Muazu Jaji Sambo, Nigeria’s Minister of Transportation has hinted that the Federal Government is set to generate 21 million full-time jobs to lift 35 million Nigerians out of poverty by 2025.

Speaking at a ministerial retreat in Uyo, the Akwa-Ibom State capital, 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 implementations of the 25-year railway modernisation programme, the ports master plan and inland waterways transportation development. Others are the Nigerian transportation master plan, tariffs, and costs, creation of private sector-led national fleet and manpower capacity development,” he said.

Sambo said efforts of the administration have been concentrated on the expansion and modernisation of the nation’s transportation system, which has resulted in numerous achievements in the rail, maritime, and road sub-sectors.

He said the provision of transportation infrastructure is, and will always be work in progress for any nation that desires rapid development.

“This is what informed my call to you to identify and implement low-hanging fruits as was stated at the briefing sessions held from 14th July – 1st August 2022 on my assumption of duty in the ministry. With the recent presentations on the investment opportunities that exist in the transportation sector at various fora, I am optimistic that there will be an influx of international private investors’ patronage in the sector soon.

“I, therefore, implore us all to leverage this retreat to galvanise the transportation sector to become more competitive, efficient, and productive,” he added.