I have never been comfortable with the Transport Minister, Shittu declares

The National President, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Prince Olayiwola Shittu has said that he has never been comfortable with the Minister of Transportation, Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.
Shittu who disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Lagos recently recalled that the Ministry of Transportation was one of the largest ministries and the most viable ministry in the country superintending over all the agencies that had impact on the livelihood of the practitioners in nation’s maritime industry compared to other ministries.
While lamenting that the civil servants in the ministry sit about in their offices relying on information from the sector, he noted that one needed not a soothsayer to tell that the people in the ministry do not have a handsome experience of what they were doing and how it was going to affect the stakeholders.
He regretted that in most cases when stakeholders lay complains against the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) before the Minister, the Minister would rely on the Managing Director of NPA to tell him what to do, adding that one could imagine what the NPA MD would tell the Minister in that regard.
“I have always complained that most Ministers of Transport are more like Ministers of NPA because any time they come around, all the agencies are around, they will tell them where to pass and where not to pass. He enjoys open, general discussion, that way, he cannot succeed because people will tell him what they want you to hear. By now I thought Amaechi have known over the years before he went into politics even as a student , will learn to say, who are the people in the industry I need to talk to? Who are the key players? Invite them one on one and say, we are not in the open, now what do you think we can do about this sector. But here it is like a jamboree.
“Can you imagine that the Ministry of Transport will tell you that the Minister wants to see you, you get to Abuja for a meeting at 10 o’clock, the Minister is not available, by the time you are there till five o’clock , a junior officer will now come forward and say that he is representing the Minister only for you to reach a decision and he will say okay, we will refer it to the Minister. What are we talking about? Are we employees of the Federal Ministry of Transport?
“Is it not cheaper for the Minister to come down here and invite the group of people he wants to see than for all of us flying to Abuja for the Minister that we are not sure of and that was why whenever we get invitation, we look for one of our members in Abuja to attend the meeting to see what is happening, at the end of the day, you get nothing”, he said.
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