Even as the Institute welcomed 151 new members and associate members, the Chartered Institute of Transport Administration (CIOTA) Nigeria has blamed the blatant inefficiency and disarray of the country’s transportation sector on the widespread involvement of non-professionals.
At the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Yaba, Lagos, where the Institute’s mid-year membership induction event was place, CIOTA President Dr. Bashir Jamoh invited more private and public operators to join the Institute with a charter and competence to inculcate professionalism.
“There is a big need for CIOTA to perform more training and retraining of persons involved in transport business in Nigeria,” Dr. Jamoh stated during the occasion. Private operators also stand to earn significantly from membership in the Institute, thus public entities shouldn’t be the only ones allowed to join. Professionalism increases performance and delivers productivity.
It appears that Nigerians are still not aware of the facts surrounding the subject of professionalism in transportation, thus I implore CIoTA leadership and all Institute members to improve enlightenment and awareness.
As 58 new members and 93 new associate members were inducted into the Institute at the occasion presided over by His Royal Majesty, Oba Rafiu Ishola Balogun, FInstTA, the Elejinrin of Ejirinrin Land, he expressed his happiness that the professionalism of the nation’s transport industry had improved.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde, emphasised during his keynote speech that professionalism is essential to ensuring that practitioners are well-equipped to work within the rules of their profession.
Furthermore, Oladeinde noted that while local content obviously has its place and is necessary to address Nigeria’s transportation problems, professionalism undoubtedly has a direct impact on the development of the nation.
In his own words: “By creating new networks and modernizing current ones, transportation specialists come up with plans to increase transport mobility. In order to increase accessibility and guarantee that vital facilities like schools, hospitals, main employment centers, recreation places, and stores can be accessible via the transport system, they also look at the impact of new developments on various forms of transportation.
Professionals around the world are the force behind sustainable infrastructure and services that contribute to national growth and overall global economic competitiveness.
In his remarks, Dr. Darlington Ofor, the Deputy President of CIOTA, noted that CIoTA has always taken the lead in ensuring the development of the transportation industry across all modes, and he urged all parties involved in the industry to keep working together to fully utilize professional expertise.
The event’s chairman, Dr. Dom Obiajulu, who was represented by a member of the Governing Council, stated that the current administration is aiming to strengthen the Institute’s mission by putting into practice policies that would significantly build upon the foundation set by its founders.
He walked the attendees through the Institute’s past successes before urging them to make outstanding contributions that would honour its founders and establish the Institute as a desirable and important brand across the country.
The speakers, Professors Bamidele Badejo and Charles Asenime, emphasized the relevance of the induction ceremony’s theme, “Building Professional Career in the Transport Industry,” throughout the talks. They also urged the new members to take advantage of their membership in the Institute to network and work together more closely across all transport modes in order to strategically integrate their modes of transportation.
The Institute’s curriculum’s powerful material was advised to the new Inductees to be applied as a standard in carrying out their professional tasks for a transportation sector that will be advantageous to their enterprises and the country as a whole.
The National Publicity Secretary of the Institute, Mrs. Chizoba Anyika, asserts that CIOTA’s professional qualifications should motivate new members to continually broaden their knowledge horizons and professional prowess.
The event was graced by a former President of the Institute, Princess Mulikat Sanni; the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Transport Katsina State, Engr Billy Aminu Mohammed Albaba; the Group Managing Director, Temple Group, Prince Segun Obayende; Representative of Nigerian Army Logistics and Director Army Signals Brigadier General Dr. Yunus Zubair; the Commandant, Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE), Prince Seni Ogunyemi; the Registrar, Institute of Chartered Secretariat Administration of Nigeria, Mrs. Taiwo Olusesi; the Rector, Institute of Transport and Management Technology (ITMT), Dr. (Mrs.) Lilian Chibor; among others.