Minister of State for Transportation, Senator Gbemisola Saraki has said the President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the injection of N10 billion into the transportation sector to cushion the effect of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Minister stated this on Wednesday while playing host to a delegation of the Public Transport Owners of Nigeria Association, PTONA, led by its President, Engineer Isaac Uhunwagbo.
Senator Saraki told the delegation that the fund which is intended to cushion the sufferings encountered by road transport workers and operators as a result of the novel virus is domiciled with the Federal Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Investment stressing that the Federal Ministry of Transportation is already working on the modalities for its disbursement.
The senator appreciated the fact that 90 per cent of Nigerians travelled by road, Saraki also stated that the Federal government would soon initiate a master plan that would reform the sector.
She, therefore, solicited the buy-in of all stakeholders in that regard.
On challenges operators faced from State governments and other stakeholders, the Minister gave the assurance that she would discuss the issues through the National Transport Commissioners Forum.
Saraki said she was also working with the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing on the concessioning of some routes which according to her was the best way to go to increase government revenue.
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