Vice President Kashim Shettima says President Bola Tinubu is deeply committed to prioritising transportation infrastructure to ease operations for Nigerian transporters.
Shettima spoke on Monday in Abuja during the inauguration of the National Working Committee of the National Structure of Transporters for Tinubu/Shettima 2027.
He said the Tinubu administration treats connectivity as an economic necessity and actively working to reduce the cost of movement.
Represented by Sen. Ibrahim Hadeija, the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Shettima said “President Tinubu does not take the struggles of transport workers for granted.”
The vice president observed that there was no group in the nation that connects communities as much as transporters.
He noted that beyond their operational duty, transport workers are unparalleled ambassadors of the nation.
He pointed out that “the transportation industry stands at the heart of economic boom.
“The sector determines whether a farmer reaches a market, whether a manufacturer moves goods, whether a trader restocks.
“It also determines whether a student reaches school, and whether an investor connects production to demand.
“Every kilometre saved, every bottleneck removed, every port made more efficient, and every safer journey completed contributes to national productivity.
“This is why we can’t afford to take you for granted. This understanding also explains why His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has remained committed to infrastructure that eases your operations.
“Across highways, rail corridors, ports, clean mobility initiatives, and logistics infrastructure, the administration has treated connectivity as an economic necessity.”
The vice president described transport workers as credible witnesses to the administration’s struggles, while also acknowledging their role in conveying people and goods across the nation on daily basis.
Shettima recalled that on June 15, he welcomed the transportation workers to “the fold of patriots who’ve come together to promote the interests of the nation above misinformation, disinformation and economic sabotage.”
He said he did so based on his belief that Nigerian transporters could help the nation’s “diverse communities understand the Renewed Hope Agenda and participate responsibly in the country’s democratic process.
“Barely three months later, you have built structures across the country, drawing in road transporters, railway workers, aviation stakeholders, maritime operators, inland waterways practitioners, logistics providers, and those engaged in pipeline transportation.
“I commend the dedication and patriotism behind this national spread.”
He, however, cautioned the transport workers to keep their activities peaceful and their campaign issue-based, pointing out that no political objective is improved by disorder.
“I appeal to each of you to remember that political participation places obligations on those who organise others.
“Keep your engagements peaceful and your message issue-based; reject violence, threats, intimidation, misinformation, and every form of electoral misconduct.
“No political objective is improved by disorder, and no democratic cause is strengthened by fear. Nigeria’s future must be argued in the open, tested by citizens, and decided through credible elections.
“We have emphasised time and again that an election is not an act of war. Elections are opportunities for each citizen or group to express their interests and demonstrate their preferences, and you have chosen well.
“You do this based on your convictions, and that’s why the journey ahead requires you to exercise maturity and resist distractions in your engagements with the communities that already hold you in high esteem.”
Earlier, the National Coordinator, Transporters for Tinubu/Shettima 2027, Segun Obayendo, had commended the impactful reforms and investments of the Tinubu administration in the transportation ecosystem.
He said the inauguration of structures of the Transporters for Tinubu/Shettima 2027 was critical to building concensus among members for the purpose of the President’s re-election.
Obayendo, who is also the Technical Adviser to the President on Transportation, Logistics and Innovation, assured that they would work relentlessly for the success of the present administration.
The Deputy National Organising Secretary of APC, Emeka Okafor, applauded the commitment and support of the group for the re-election of President Tinubu.
He noted that the administration’s performance across different sectors was a justification for his re-election.
He urged the group to leverage the platform and their network to galvanise nationwide support for the President and candidates of the party across all levels in the 2027 general elections.
