From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
The Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Jaji Sambo as well as the Emir of Zazzau, Ambassador Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli have commended the Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Bashir Jamo for intervention projects in Kaduna State University (KASU) and an entrepreneurship centre in Zaria.
Speaking on Saturday, shortly before he commissioned the Twin Lecture theater donated to the Kaduna State University by NIMASA, Sambo said the projects will have a life-changing impact on the nation’s history.
The Minister also commissioned an entrepreneurship centre built by NIMASA in Zaria.
He added that the projects stood as a testament to the unending commitment of the Federal Government to building structures with long-lasting socio-economic rewards.
The Transportation Minister said similar projects by NIMASA were commissioned across the country in the past few weeks.
Let me also state that the Kaduna State University is one of the budding Universities in the country that deserves every attention to make it an envy of other learning institutions across the globe. Indeed, the delivery of the twin lecture theaters which is fitted with modern learning gadgets has further advanced the university’s repute.
I want to commend, the Director General of NIMASA, who is also a son of the soil for the completion of this laudable project and to further advise the leadership of Kaduna State University to pay more attention to the transport sector especially the blue economy where there are numerous opportunities for the youth.
“Over the past few weeks, we have travelled across the nation to commission lofty projects by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, and I dare say that NIMASA has displayed to Nigerians and indeed the whole world that the Agency is a socially responsible organization, playing its part in poverty alleviation through the development of projects targeted at human capacity development.
“This will further provide a comfortable learning environment for our students and serve as a centre for the development of competencies in the Maritime Sector at large.
“Let me also commend the Board of the Agency, members of the Executive Management, Top Management and Staff of NIMASA, and their contractors for the successful delivery of these projects which will hopefully serve the good people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Let me reiterate that the Federal Ministry of Transportation (FMOT) would continue to do its part in Transportation infrastructural development across Nigeria and our commitment to this remains unwavering. We shall continue to support every development in the transport sector that would lead to the realization of economic growth for the benefit of every Nigerian
“It is my pleasure to commission these projects for improved service delivery”. Sambo said.
The Emir of Zazzau, Ambassador Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli received the Ministers and his entourage in his palace.
The Emir said the need for skills acquisition cannot be overemphasized saying, “This project will be of immense benefit to the people of Zaria and the country at large.”
According to him, “Strategic investment in human capital is key to the development of any nation and that is why I am always preaching for entrepreneurship and for us to graduate from rent seeking jobs.”
He then commended the NIMASA DG for sponsoring 2,500 young people at the Maritime Training Institute, saying that he has empowered them for life.
Earlier, NIMASA DG, Bashir Jamoh explained that, “These intervention projects are part of NIMASA’s policy on infrastructural development of educational system in the country. These projects we are commissioning today are the first of its kind in line with our policy. We are doing similar projects across the six geo-political zones of the country.
“We have selected two key areas where we believe if we tackle them head-on, we will be able to address some of the challenges that we are having in terms of security. These areas include education and job creation. This is why in Zaria, we are commissioning skill acquisition centre to address the challenges of job creation of over 60% of the teeming youths in Nigeria.
“The idea is to see how we can apply non-kinetic approach to the security challenges bedeviling this country. This security challenge is not only peculiar to the areas where we have water, but also land. Because most of the crimes that we are experiencing today, start on land and end on water. This is why we have to touch everywhere.
“We will continue to contribute our own quota to the development of this country in terms of maritime and interns of security, be it land security or our own waterway security”.