SPEECH BY THE HONORABLE MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND CULTURE, ALHAJI LAI MOHAMMED, AT THE 9TH QUADRENNIAL NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE NATIONAL UNION OF ROAD TRANSPORT WORKERS ON 29TH AUGUST, 2019 AT THE NAF CONFERENCE CENTRE, ABUJA
Protocol:
I am most delighted to address the delegates to the 9th Quadrennial National Conference of the National Union of Road Transport Workers of Nigeria, NURTW, who are gathered here today.
NURTW is a very important organization. It has a famous acronym and a great responsibility. Everybody knows who you are! Everybody needs your services.
As a trade union that promotes and protects the interest of all workers in the transport sector, the NURTW has played significant roles in the socio-economic development of this country.
Your most important role of conveying people and goods across the country has in no small measure fostered national unity, enhanced trade and commercial activities across the country – and ultimately boosted the economy.
I am also aware that the NURTW has been called upon on many occasions to provide logistic support for the government, and the union has acquainted itself creditably in the discharge of its duties.
There is no doubt that the NURTW has borne the brunt of the years of infrastructural decay, especially in the area of roads, just as you have also been exposed to the pangs of insecurity. In spite of this, you have persevered against all odds. I thank you for the abiding faith you have in this country.
Let me use this important occasion to once again call on you to support this government as it evolves innovative measures to tackle the challenge of insecurity on our roads.
The Union can specifically support the government in the fight against insecurity by providing timely information to the security agencies, particularly on all the black spots on the nation’s highways. Whether on intra or inter-state journey, your members crisscross the length and breadth of this vast nation and, collectively, have great access to information that can help to make our roads safer.
As government continues to frontally tackle the menace of insecurity, it is incumbent on all of us to collaborate in order to address the kidnapping, armed robbery and other forms of insecurity on our roads.
You must also not forget your role in ensuring the safety of your passengers by obeying all traffic rules and regulations, shunning drug abuse and thuggery.
As a government, we will continue to work hard to ensure that you carry out your functions with utmost ease, comfort and safety.
The security agencies are adopting creative ways, including the deployment of technology, to stem the tide of insecurity on the highways. The government is also investing massively in the provision of critical infrastructure to enable you to discharge your duties effectively and efficiently. As a matter of fact, no government has invested more in infrastructural development than the Buhari Administration. As I speak, there is at least one federal road under construction in each of the country’s 36 states and the federal
capital territory.
The setting up of the $650 million Presidential Infrastructure Fund is aimed at accelerating the ongoing construction work on the Second Niger Bridge, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, East-West Road, Abuja-Kano Expressway and the Mambilla Hydro-electric Project. There is no better demonstration of President Buhari’s commitment to deliver on critical
infrastructure across the country.
I want to assure you that in this Next Level, you will witness a faster pace of infrastructural development and a lot of ongoing projects will be delivered and put to use for the comfort of
Nigerians.
I thank you for listening and wish you a fruitful national conference.
