NITT Building National Intelligent Transport System, Says DG

By Bennett  Oghifo

Nigeria’s foremost transport training and research institute, the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT), Zaria, Kaduna State, is in the process of building a national Intelligent Transport System, that will deploy technology to collect and collate transport and transport related data across the country.

This was revealed by the Director General of the institute, Dr. Bayero Salih Farah, during the familarisation visit of the Minister of Transportation, Alhaji Muazu Jaji Sambo to the institute during the week.

The National Intelligent Transport System is expected to provide real-time transport information and intelligence, as well as assist researchers and policy formulators.

In his welcome address to the minister and his entourage, the DG said “it may interest you to know that NITT is by law mandated to serve as the nation’s Transport Intelligence Centre.

“Accordingly, with the support of the Buhari led administration, NITT has established a Databank for the collection, collation and analysis of all economic and technological data relating to all aspects of transportation in Nigeria.

“To fulfill this mandate, the Institute is building an Intelligent Transport System (ITS) Centre to be equipped with state-of-the-art equipment. At the moment, the databank project has commenced with the installation of equipment in some major highways namely: Abuja-Lokoja, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and Kaduna-Zaria Highway.

“Traffic data generated by these equipment will be transmitted in real time to the Data Centre in Zaria. Data from transport organisations are also being collated and inputted into the Databank System in the Institute.”

The DG added that “similarly, the Institute is complementing the effort of the present administration in exiting the petrol subsidy regime through the provision of alternative energy source to the transportation sector.

“The Institute is currently in talks with the National Gas Expansion Programme Committee aimed at providing the technical manpower for engineering the process of converting fossil fuel driven vehicles in Nigeria to using either Compressed National Gas (CNG) or Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as well as championing the call for local production of conversion kits in this regard. The Institute has compliments of equipment and facilities to achieve this.”

Congratulating the Minister on his well deserved appointment once again, Dr. Farah, expressed satisfaction with the timely visit of the Minister to the Institute, saying “I want to also note for the record that this is the first time ever that NITT is having the rare opportunity of hosting a Minister of Transportation in just months after his assumption of office.”

Also of significant importance, the NITT boss explained the Institute has been contributing to road safety through its Driver Development and Training Centres in each of the six geopolitical zones in the country, as “work on three of these projects have started and is progressing steadily”.

On the entourage of the Minister were the Permanent Secretary of the ministry and Directors, who were all conducted to the different departments and facilities of the Institute.