The Chartered Institute of Transport and Logistics (CITL) has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari’s led administration to enact policies that would enhance safety on roads and airports for the socio-economic development of the country.

Prof. Kayode Oyesiku, the National President-elect of the institute, told the News Agency Nigeria (NAN) on the sideline of the institute’s just concluded 2015 Conference and General Annual Meeting held in Lagos.

Oyesiku said that the institute was planning to come up with a workable policy for the development of transport system that would ensure safety of lives on the highways and enhance aviation industry development.

The Professor of Transport System Planning, Urban and Regional Planning, said that the development of cargo terminals would create the opportunity for massive employment in the country.

His words: “For the aviation industry, we expect that efforts will be made to maximise the potential available in many industries.

“Unfortunately, such potential have yet to be tapped and Nigeria is an import dependent nation rather than an export dependent nation.

“Therefore, a number of our airports that have been designated Cargo Airports have yet to function well.

“What we then clamour for as a professional institute is to make the overall development of the economy an export dependent particularly on agriculture and manufacturing.”

The don also lauded the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) for its service to road users and appealed to the Federal Government to support it so that its work would be more effective in enforcing speed limit among motorists.

“The FRSC should collaborate with the relevant agencies in enforcing the laws and ensuring that only vehicles that are road worthy are allowed to ply the highways.”

Also, Mr. Dunoma Saleh, the Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), said the development of airports would enhance business efficiency and productivity for socio-economic development of Nigeria.

Saleh, the guest speaker at the event said: “Airport facilitates economic growth at regional and national levels but also acts as magnets for a wide range of economic activities.

“Airport provides the necessary infrastructure for a wide range of economic activities and provides easy access to suppliers and customers.

“The air transport for passengers and freight constitutes an essential component of the modern global economy.”

According to him, air travel provides accessibility to global economy and enables remote and island communities to participate fully in it.

Saleh added that the development would attract new investments, business and leisure visitors, retain existing companies, promote export and tourism as well as create more jobs.

However, Mr. Bob Ekwuribe, the Vice President-East, CILT Nigeria, said that the country had lost its talented and productive manpower to several avoidable road crashes.

Ekwuribe, in a paper he presented entitled: “The Role of Road Transport Safety in Nigeria’s Economy,’ described the spate of accidents in Nigeria as alarming.

“Hundreds and thousands of innocent citizens are injured and killed, property worth millions of naira are lost to thousands of preventable accidents.”

According to him, speeding, poor road conditions, poor vehicle maintenance, bad weather, alcohol, overloading and human factor among others are responsible for accidents on the roads.

Ekwuribe urged the government to improve on road infrastructure and the existing measures to ensure that road traffic management and operators work together to reduce carnages on the highways.

NAN reports that the Institute’s Annual Report and the 2014 Financial Statements were read and adopted.

The annual event, entitled ‘Airport Development in Nigeria, State and Prospects,’ held in Lagos had stakeholders from the transport industry in attendance. (NAN)

•Photo shows CILT President, Prof. Kayode Oyesiku.

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