By Mariam Adams
As part of effort to resuscitate the state transportation sector, the kogi state government has unveiled plans to privatise Confluence Express Service.
This was made known by the state commissioner of transportation, Hon.Baron Okwoli during a meeting with staff of confluence Express services and management of the ministry.
The commissioner said; “Confluence Express is a public transport service owned by the Government of Kogi State of Nigeria and supervised by Kogi Investment and Properties Limited, a Limited Liability Company appointed by the Kogi State Government to supervise it.The essence of this project is to bring orderliness into traffic management, create employment to some unemployed youths of Kogi State, keep statistical data of passengers as well as reduce carnage on our roads for the citizenry.
The buses which were flagged off to ply various routes in Nigeria on January 2017 ceased operations since march 2020 hence the need to privatize”
He further stated that the decision was as a result of the need to open up the transport sector to the public for private participation so as to ensure efficiency and professionalism which the private sector can bring to improve the sector.
“To lead the way by deepening reforms and now in the Transportation sector we are trying to take advantage of this period to deepen reforms in the transport sector by bringing on board private sector partnership” Okwoli said.
He noted that the best way to further improve kogi state economy was to create new policies for different sectors of the economy that will drive private sector participation rather than for government to just continue to pour in money on investments.
Okwoli further stressed that kogi state government under the administration of His Excellency,Alhaji Yahaya Bello is determined to fully exploit the potentials of the transport sector by opening it up for new investment.
In his remarks, the Acting chairman of the company,Mr.olunde segun thanked the Honourable commissioner for notifying them of the Government decision to privatise. He promised that the staff of the Confluence Express will put in more effort to achieve efficiency prior to the change in ownership.
