Industry players canvass right policies, technology to aid future of mobility

Stakeholders in the mobility industry have expressed readiness for the future of mobility, saying with the right policies and technology in place, the sector is set for the future.

Stakeholders who gathered at the Africa Mobility Conference tagged: ‘Pathway to the future of mobility in Africa,’ yesterday in Lagos, said investors in the sector need to collaborate with government agencies to align with the future of mobility.

Lagos Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Olusegun Ogungbemide, described the mobility sector as dynamic and said they are ready for the future.

Ogungbemide said: “We are actually set for the future since we have a projection and plan towards it, definitely, we would achieve it. It is quite important and necessary at this time, when we are thinking of the future, we know where we are now, and we know where the world is already heading. Even some of them are there already. So, if we sit without thinking of what the future would look like, we would continue to be stagnant.

“We have the role of the private sector that is quite germane. Theirs are driven by something, which is profit and it is a good motivation for them to do what is right and secure the space, unlike the public sector,” he said.

Managing Director, Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Mrs Abimbola Akinajo, said discipline of Nigerians on the road is very critical.

Akinajo said: “We all complain but we don’t want to be accountable for our actions, we need to learn to be disciplined on the roads. For us, most of the traffic jams we see are due to bad driving and bad behaviour of drivers and motorists on the road. Once this is dealt with, every other thing will follow.”

On the part of LAMATA, she said: “We are putting a lot of infrastructure and systems in place to enhance transportation. Mass transportation is the way forward for easy mobility. We are encouraging people to move from their private cars and embrace public transportation. The rail system will move hundreds of thousands of Nigerians on a daily basis. High capacity buses and waterways will do exactly the same. So, feel free to leave your cars behind and get on the regulated bus or rail system.”

Chief Executive Officer, GIG Mobility, Enahoro Okhae, said players in the industry are not the ones shaping the narrative in the sector and there is no platform where players in the industry are collaborating with the government.

Okhae said: “Our idea is to bring people together like we have done today bringing those in the government sector together and begin to shape the narrative on how-to for the future of mobility in Nigeria and Africa.

“The future is upon us. At GIGM, we are already stepping into the future. We are already doing things that people think cannot happen in Nigeria with technology. For example, in the area of security, we are already beginning to use technology to guide our own vehicles around, but we can’t do it alone. We have to begin to bring people together because it is a choice we have to make. People made choices to move the world forward, if we don’t start making this choice now, we would be a relic, we would not grow nor advance and that is the reason for this conference,” he said.

On his part, Chief Executive Officer, Jet Motor Company, Joseph Osanipin, said stakeholders are ready to work together for the sustenance of the sector.

“If you don’t work together, sometimes you won’t know what is happening and creating policies that may not have any impact. Like I mentioned, there is a policy of standardization, but some people would just issue receipts because it is mandatory to have gaseous emission receipts, which is just a pass, that’s not the purpose of that policy, the purpose of the policy is to have good vehicles on the road,” he said.