New Mass Transit Scheme For Kwara

0
944

 

As part of the efforts aimed at alleviating the hardship faced by commuters in Kwara State, the state governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmeda few days back flagged off a N257 million Mass Transit Scheme tagged ‘ Maigida Soludero’. Speaking during the flag-off ceremony in Ilorin, the governor said the scheme is built on the past and existing interventions in the transportation sector by the state government and that it is designed to relieve the hardship faced by commuters in the state capital and also enhance commercial activities in the state. The 10 buses in the pool of the Maigida Soludero Mass Transit Scheme were purchased for members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) through a credit facility facilitated by the Kwara State Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Bureau.  Additional credit facilities will be provided to the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) and the Association of Independent Marketers (AIT) soon to assist in acquiring buses that will ply other routes within and outside the state capital. ‘The partnerships arrangement with stakeholders in the road transport sector are designed to ensure efficiency of the mass transit scheme through provision of additional buses without depriving transporters of their livelihoods ‘ he stated.  His administration had, according to him 2014 provided 100 taxis, 193 motorcycles and 25 mini buses to various transporters in the state  in 2014, stating that the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) has created economic opportunities and expanded the livelihood of over 60,000 people in Kwara State.   He further stated that his administration has injected a total sum of N1,280,000,000 into the MSME scheme, leading to a turnover of N3billion, noting that the transit scheme is the latest interventionist effort targeted at boosting the informal sector, enhancing public transportation and getting the people of the state empowered. The visibly elated President of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Najeem Usman Yasin described the gesture as laudable and he assured the government of the union’s support. He also gave assurance that members who are the beneficiaries of the scheme will make judicious use of the buses by sourcing for good hands as drivers of the vehicles.