By Admin
The transportation of goods and services from one place to another is not only a commercial and business venture but an integral part of the developmental process of society and humanity generally.
This is more so in the present era where the movement of people and ideas are expected to happen at great speeds to meet the needs and yearnings of the digital age.
In view of the above, yesterday, Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State took one more step in his efforts towards at once meeting one the people’s most pressing needs of the moment and keeping his own part of the social contract with them.
He launched the Tin City Metro Urban Transportation Initiative, a unique system of massively moving commuters at very subsidized rates within the areas of the Greater Jos Master Plan.
It has in its fleet 15 state-of-the-art MAN-Diesel buses fully equipped with latest equipment such as Near Field Communication (NFC) and secure card payment systems.
No doubt, coming at this critical point in time when Nigerians are groaning under the heavy strain of astronomically high transportation costs, these buses could not have come at a more auspicious period.
Furthermore, and as the governor himself pointed out, “We are ushering in an era of digitized travel, aligning with the global shift towards cashless transactions for the convenience of our passengers.”
In addition, these iconic buses are set to immensely boost economic and social activities of the people of the state. This is because transportation has multi-dimensional and ripple effects on society generally, especially now that individuals, commuters and businesses are finding it increasingly difficult to commute and transport goods from one place to another.
And, to boot, only one week ago, the state government unveiled 20 ultra-modern 8-seater Seinna buses that are now plying intra-state and national routes. The Plateau Riders Bus Services, which had almost gone under in the last eight years, has now been given a new lease of life.
No doubt, the Mutfwang administration is easing the current pains of transportation even beyond the borders of the state.
And on a more general note, these buses have come with the added blessings of the beautification of the Jos/Bukuru metropolis aimed at creating standard stations and a conducive environment for businesses and human traffic to cohabit with ease and flow seamlessly.
Anyone who has been in these areas in the last one year will certainly attest to the fact that an extraordinary transformation is unfolding.
Right from the day he personally supervised the state-wide environmental sanitation exercise (one of his first assignments after assuming office), Governor Mutfwang has left no one in doubt about his avowed commitment towards radically bringing sanity to the state’s erstwhile dirty physical environment.
Jos Terminus, Ahmadu Bello Way, Rwang Pam Street and other nooks and crannies of Jos and Bukuru metropolis are beaming with a splash of well-tarred roads, complete with wide shoulders and drainages.
It is with this same determination and zeal that the governor is confronting the problem of transportation in the state. As a man who deeply believes in the wholistic development of society, he is well aware that abandoning one sector in preference for another would never give room for all-pervasive and sustainable progress.
Thus, roads construction, building terminals for the new buses, regulating street trading, beautifying the city, etc, are all being carried out at the same time so that they can have a more enduring and impactful effect.
Some of these radical transformations on the landscape of the state capital and environs have come at a heavy price to many citizens. There have been obvious pushbacks here and there.
But these pains are as temporary as they are very necessary in order to ensure sanity, ease of movement and doing business and the general wellbeing of society.
The onus is now on citizens to take full responsibility for these new buses, roads and physical infrastructure. Nigerians are notorious for misusing government property. We call on citizens to utilize the buses with care in order to safeguard the huge investments government has made on them.
And, going forward, Plateau people have no doubt whatsoever that this is only the beginning of even better things to come.
In fact, preparations are in top-gear towards the revitalization of the rail system within the Greater Jos Master Plan area to give more impetus to these lofty innovations the state government is making.
Surely, the Governor Mutfwang administration is on the road to taking the state to greater heights in this and other areas of human development.
An editorial of THE NIGERIA STANDARD newspaper, Wednesday, May 8, 2024
