The Federal Government has approved ₦10 billion survival fund for transport workers and operators, in the country.
This was disclosed by the Minister of State for Transportation, Gbemisola Saraki, who received a delegation of the National Executive Committee and Trustees of the Public Transport Owners of Nigeria Association (PTONA).
The minister said the funds would help cushion the sufferings encountered by road transport workers and operators as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.In a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday by Anastasia Ogbonna on behalf of the ministry’s director of public relations, Saraki said the fund was domiciled with the Federal Ministry of Trade, Industry and Investment.
She said the Federal Ministry of Transportation was currently working on the modalities for its disbursement.The minister said about 90 per cent of Nigerians travel by road, adding that government would soon initiate a master plan to reform the sector.
On the challenges operators face from state governments and other stakeholders, Saraki assured her guests that she would discuss the issues through the National Transport Commissioners Forum.She further disclosed that she was in talks with the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing for the concession of some routes, which according to her, was the best way to increase government revenue.
In his response, Uhunwagho said their visit was in respect of the challenges faced by the body and sought COVID-19 financial palliatives for members to prevent their businesses from folding up.
He lamented that PTONA members felt the impact of the lockdown the most as their branded buses could not operate due to the ban on interstate travel.
