While being inaugurated in February this year as the President of the then-institute of Transport Administrators (IOTA) Nigeria, Dr Bashir Jamoh told the gathering that: "As of today, the Bill for chattering this institute is before the National Assembly and it has already passed the second reading. We intend before the end of March 2019, we would be ready to go for public hearing, you are all invited to come and add your weight for the successful passage of the bill during the public hearing".
That was the last anyone heard about the Bill that was seeking to charter the Institute of Transport Administration (Nigeria), until last week when suddenly it was announced that President Muhammadu Buhari had signed the Bill for an Act establishing the Chartered Institute of Transport Administration of Nigeria (CIOTA).
While commending Dr Jamoh, who is also an Executive Director at NIMASA for putting his weight behind the CIOTA dream, one only wonders how he was able to pull it through!
The CIOTA President was quoted as saying that the Act that establishes the institute charges it with the responsibility of advancing the study, training and practice of transport management and administration in Nigeria and other related matters. He said this afford members of CIOTA an avenue to continuously contribute to matters regarding transportation in Nigeria.
While not opposed to the Charter or the ‘coup’ that the CIOTA emergence has become, there are a few questions that arebegging for answers. Did the National Assembly organise any public hearing. If it did, it would have received a resounding NO to the quest to charter IOTA, among many other similar and even more recognised institutes in the nation’s transport and maritime sector. No. Why was its passage shrouded in so much secrecy?
Is the IOTA Bill the only one at the National Assembly? NO. There were many others, including the Port and Harbour Bill, and the Chartered Institute of Shipping Bill. There is also, the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport Bill.
Just like the CILT, which even enjoys better status, the IOTA Nigeria is also associated with a UK-based body. IOTA Nigeria is an affiliate of IOTA United Kingdom which was established as The Institute of Transport Administration was founded in 1944 as The Institute of Traffic Administration. By special resolution passed on 29 January 1981 the Institute's membership resolved to change its name to The Institute of Transport Administration.
While, one may not contest CIOTA Bill’s passage ahead of the Ports and Harbour bill for obvious reasons, the lack of interest on the part of successive National Assembly to Bills seeking to charter similar Institutes, and the accelerated passage of CIOTA Bill raises eyebrow.
The equally quick assent of President Muhammadu Buhari further fuels the suspicion that there is indeed more to the passage of CIOTA Bill and the President’s assent than meets the eye.
The relationship between President Muhammadu and Dr Jamoh is not a secret, a relationship that earned him a triple promotion from a Deputy Director to an Executive Director in the same NIMASA.
Could it then be true that while promoters of these Bills were asleep, IOTA led by its President; Dr Bashir Jamoh, woke up in the middle of the night!
No, others were not sleeping, they just don’t have the muscle and the connection to pull their charter dream through, and they may never realise that dream again!
Finally, in Dr Jamoh’s response to the IOTA elevation to CIOTA, he said: “This bill assures all our members of the Professional status of our institute and encourages others to join us, as we strive to help the Government revamp the entire transport sector”.
The nation’s transport industry awaits the expected exodus from CILT and others to CIOTA! It takes more than being chartered to command respect, especially in a case such as that of Chartered Institute Of Transport Administration.
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