Chibuike Amaechi, Minister of Transportation on Saturday, laid the foundation for the building of the Institute of Transport and Logistics at the Gregory University, Uturu (GUU) in Abia State.
The Institute upon completion will offer specialised transportation courses and provide laboratories for Maritime and Oceanography, Aviation/Aeronautic, Designing and Construction Suites, Aerospace Engineering, Central Machining tools centre, Railway Engineering and simulation rooms.
Amaechi assured of his willingness to partner the University in its initiative to educate Nigerians in the Transportation and Logistics field, taking advantage of the Federal Government’s development strides in the transport sector particularly the rail and maritime sub-sectors.
“We will see how to partner with the university especially when we start the construction of the Bonny-Port Harcourt-Maiduguri rail line. We are very particular about localising railway technology, that is why we are not only training our people in China but had also made the Chinese to build a transportation university and a wagon Assembly plant here in Nigeria,” Amaechi said.
While making the commencement speech at the University’s 8th matriculation ceremony, Amaechi encouraged the students to be diligent, have the fear of God and be courageous to ensure that they succeed.
Gregory Iyke Ibe, chancellor/founder of GUU, said he was inspired by Amaechi’s developmental strides in the transportation ministry and the school is enthusiastic to tap into that sector in order to aid growth and training of Nigerians into becoming professionals in transport engineering and technology.
“What we are doing here is to input technology, change methodology and we must succeed. This university has a printing press, a paint factory, a sew factory, and everything is produced here. We do fibre glasses here. Everything we do here, we do it because technology is done by human beings. I do not see why Nigerians who are well gifted cannot be trained in what we are doing,” he added.
The Minister also paid a visit to the government of Abia State, where Governor Okezie Ikpeazu represented by his deputy Ude Oko Chukwu sought the Ministry of Transportation’s assistance in ensuring that the planned inland dry ports in Isiala Ngwa, is achieved.
He pledged the state government’s willingness to support the Federal Government in any project it’s doing in the state.
