The Minister of Transportation, Senator Said Alkali has announced the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT), as a center for converting petrol-based vehicles to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles.
The Minister made the announcement at a two-day
management retreat organised by the NITT, with the theme “Realigning NITT’s Vision with Performance Management System (PMS) and the Dynamics of the Transport Industry,” in Kaduna, with a charge to commission the CNG conversion centers in the 36 states of the Federation in order to maximize the potentials of President Tinubu led administration’s laudable initiative.
Alkali disclosed that the NITT have engaged with the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGi) and have also developed and commissioned conversion centres in Abuja and Zaria, with work underway in several other states. A strategic move which the Minister said aligns perfectly with President Bola Tinubu’s vision, the changing landscape of transportation in Nigeria and globally.
According to the Minister, the dynamics of the transport industry demand full commitment to excellence.
“We are witnessing the rise of electric vehicles, the potential of autonomous transportation, and the increasing importance of sustainable and green transport solutions. NITT must be at the forefront of some of these developments, not just observing but actively contributing to their advancement in the Nigerian context,” said Alkali.
Speaking on the retreat’s theme, the Minister emphasised that it both timely and crucial, as Nigeria navigates the evolving landscape of the transport sector, urge the NITT’s management to commit to the roles outlined in the performance bond which represents collective commitment to accountability and excellence.
Adding that the performance bond sets clear expectations for each department and agency under the Federal Ministry of Transportation, ensuring work in done towards common goals.
In order to sustain knowledge and innovation in the transport sector, the Minister therefore charged
the NITT to collaborate with the Federal University of Transportation Daura to promote transfer of knowledge, technology and expertise.
He expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for according a special priority to transportation on the top scale of his governance agenda, and also express our appreciation to the Chairman of the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Land Transport for their unwavering support and collaborative effort in advancing Nigeria’s transportation sector for continued partnership to navigate the challenges and opportunities ahead.
He also commend the NITT for organizing a retreat aimed at repositioning the Institute at the forefront of transportation education and research in Nigeria.
The Director General of NITT, Dr Bayero Salih Farah earlier in his welcome address disclosed that the retreat is a follow-up to the previous one conducted in 2019 with the aim to reposition the Institute to face the everchanging transportation challenges of the country.
He highlighted some of the tremendous successes achieved after the previous retreat that improved the Institute’s visibility and commitments to achieving its objectives to include: Extending the service coverage of the Institute to cover each of the six geopolitical zones.
Initializing the development of Driver Development Centers across the six geo-political zones; Developing the foundation for the national transport databank project; Facilitating the transition to alternative transportation fuel, especially in the CNG conversion and training. It will interest you to note that, today we are unveiling the Conversion and Training E-booking System Portal that will enable seamless customer services.
Securing approvals to run National Diplomas (ND) and High National Diplomas (HND) in various transport technology programs. Similarly, the Institute is now a National Skills Qualification (NSQ) Training Provider accredited to run 23 approved trade areas; Undertaking several national assignments including the N-Build Program; The approval of the Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission (ICRC) at OBC level on two of its critical PPP Projects in areas of Alternative Energy (Autogas) and Databank; and the approval of new Schemes and Conditions of service while the time-aged establishment Act is in the process of amendment and now before the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Dr Farah further explained that these several success and more led the Institute to organize management retreat to reflect its achievements and forge other perspective for sustainable growth and development to realign the Institute’s Vision with Performance Management System (PMS) and the Dynamics of the Transport Industry.
He urged participants to share expertise, insights, and encouraged diverse perspectives, with focus on solutions, not obstacles, commit to actionable plans that enable the realignment of the Institute’s Vision with Performance Management System (PMS) and the Dynamics of the Transport Industry.
