The Minister of State for Transportation, Sen. Gbemisola Saraki, on Tuesday said only duly registered road transport unions would benefit from the Federal Government’s N10 billion intervention fund for road transport workers and operators.
Saraki said this when the National President, National Commercial Tricycle and Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association (NACTOMORAS), Muhammed Sani Hassan, led its members to visit her in Abuja.
She, however, tasked the executive council of the association to ensure its members were duly registered as only properly registered road transporters would be considered for the palliative.
Saraki appreciated the association for the visit and called for synergy among transport stakeholders to drive the sector.
She assured the delegation of the Federal Government’s commitment to assist transport associations, unions and instill sanity in the sector through a regulatory framework.
Saraki said that the coronavirus pandemic had necessitated the need for contact tracing of passengers as normalcy was gradually being restored in the country.
According to Saraki, the ministry is aware of the role of tricycle and okada operators play in the transport sector.
The National President of NACTOMORAS in his remark implored the Minister to give the transport operators and owners a special consideration in the disbursement of the intervention fund.
Sani said that members of the association were the most affected by the pandemic.
He said the pandemic stripped members of their little savings due to the stay-at-home order of the Federal Government to contain the spread of the virus.
“It was a sigh of relief when news emerged that the Federal Government had approved a N10 billion support for the road transport operators to assuage their challenges,” he said.