The Minister of Transportation, Senator Said Alkali, has promised to immediately set up a technical committee to work with the California State (of the United States) Transport Agency.
According to a statement signed by Olujimi Oyetomi, Director, Press & Public Relations, the arrangement is to foster collaboration and knowledge sharing between Nigeria and USA on transportation development, climate change and best practices.
Alkali gave the pledge when a delegation of the California State Transport Agency led by Tokunbo Odusakin, the California Secretary of Transportation came on a Collaboratory and knowledge-sharing visit to the Minister at Abuja on Friday.
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.
The California State Transport Agency Team was received by the Honourable Minister of Transportation supported by the Ministry’s permanent secretary, Adeleye Adeoye, the Director of Legal Services in the Ministry, Pius Oteh; the Director, Rail Development in the Ministry, Engr. Zirra Fimbarr; the Director of Road Mass Transit, Mr. Ibrahim Musa; the Director of Transport Planning and Coordination, Mrs Gladys Akanbi; the Director of Reform Coordination in the Ministry, the Director of Special Duties in the Ministry, Dr. Vivian Nwosu; the Director of Press and Public Relations, Olujimi Oyetomi and the Senior Special Adviser to the Transportation Minister, Hon. Umar Ahmed Nafada.
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.
The Minister of Transportation had earlier highlighted the need to have partners from California State to help the retrofitting programme of the Nigeria Railway Corporation The Ministry, the minister disclosed. has tried retrofitting NRC locomotive engines to use mostly Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) rather than 100 per cent use of diesel.
Alkali stated that this would be in line with the greener energy alternative programme. He expatiated that “the one we retrofitted went with about 25% Diesel and 75% LNG usage over a distance of about 200 kilometres between Abuja and Kaduna.”
To further buttress the federal government’s effort towards combating fossil fuel combustion, Alkali highlighted some of the efforts undertaken by the government including the delivery of hybrid and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses to enhance the country’s transportation system; a move which he stated is meant to transit from petrol and diesel to CNG.
Others are when the Federal Government of Nigeria adopted the Green Bond Initiative to manage and coordinate the implementation of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition National Action Plan to reduce short-lived climate pollutants in the country.
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 focus 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.
Odusakin requested further meetings with the Honourable Minister of Transportation, and the Ministry’s transportation team to plan out the California Climate and Trade Delegation Summit scheduled to be held in 2025.
While he weighed in on the proposal for a possible partnership, the Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Transportation, Professor Umar Adam Katsayal requested 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 the skills and capacity gap in Nigeria.
The Director General of the National Institute of Transport Technology (NITT), Dr. Farah Bayero, in his intervention, identified the 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 for a full-fledged deployment of this technology nationwide.
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