Chairman of NTA Park/Malgam Transport, Jos, Plateau State, Ibrahim Maikudi, has appealed to the state government to reconsider the park’s planned relocation or closure.
He said the park has contributed to the state’s economic prosperity in its 20 years of operation.
LEADERSHIP investigation revealed that over 1,000 drivers benefit from the park, while businesses have sprung up in and around the park, and many employment opportunities have been created. The total investment sum in the park is over N500 million.
Speaking with newsmen in Jos, the Plateau State capital, yesterday about the information they heard on the radio about the park’s likelihood of closing down, the chairman said, “We have the permit and all the criteria to become a motor park.”
He said, “We are one of the best motor parks on the Plateau, and we even have effective technology to detect criminals, such as CCTV cameras. We are a formidable private park and not a roadside park.”
According to him, their transport fares are affordable, and they ply many routes across the country. “In one of the parks, from Jos to Abuja, it is N9,000, while in another, it is N15,000. But we are still collecting N6,000. We are arguably the only park which did not exorbitantly increase our transport fare in the face of the fuel subsidy removal,” he said.
He explained that they pay taxes to the government and other necessary levies and have helped check insecurity in the state by arresting criminals, kidnappers, and bandits alike with arms, ammunition and other dangerous weapons.
According to him, the park is centralised, and they have been supporting the government in the state’s developmental efforts and that they are willing to do more, especially in the transportation sector, which is key to the development of any state or the nation at large.
“On 13 May (last month), some persons told us that they heard on the radio that Jos South local government is planning to relocate roadside motor parks, and I said no problem, as we are a lawful private motor park and not a roadside motor park.
“For instance, we were the people that arrested the young man from Zamfara with arms and ammunition last week and handed him over to the Police. We have been arresting other criminals over the years, including drug peddlers, who we hand over to NDLEA or child traffickers, whom we hand over to Civil Defence. We have been helping the government check insecurity because we in the transport sector are the worst hit if there is insecurity.
“We believe that government-owned parks can work hand-in-hand with the privately owned parks. For instance, there are government and private hospitals and schools. So, the government cannot just close private enterprises down except if they find them wanting in one way or another.
“Government facilities alone cannot accommodate the needs of the people in the society, and private bodies are needed to boost the economy. In America, for instance, most enterprises are privately owned, and the government only regulates them,” he said.
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