CILT Half Cost of Application Fee
... Digitalizes Application Process
Kathy Kyari
The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in Nigeria, (CILT), has digitalised the process of application into the Academics in Logistics and Transport, ACALOT, to broadened the horizon of young individuals and students on operations of transport and logistics industry at an early stage.
The President of CILT, Barr. Mfon Usoro made this announcement during an interview with journalists at the formal launching of Academics in Logistics and Transport, ACALOT, at the Author Mbanefo Digital and Research Centre, University of Lagos.
Usoro said that the institute aims to enlist students when they are still young and acquaint them to the principles of the industry.
She said the institute has halved the cost of obtaining admission form though the institute revenue will be affected but
the main objectives of CILT is not make profit but to create opportunities for youths.
“What I was talking about was reviewing the process of becoming a member because even the membership form was very cumbersome. Some of persons who are already CEOs complain that the membership form was too complicated".
“So, we have made it simple, straight forward and most importantly, it is online now where most people can go and fill the form.
“We gave embarked on digitisation project in CILT, we are reducing the use of paperworks which most of the times, you don’t need after entering the particulars in computer.that process has been completed and we have simplified the process of getting members and also sometimes the qualifications were unclear and there are bits of arbitrariness in evaluating people who qualify to be members or qualify for upgrades. We have simplified the proces and it is going to be circulated to all the members.
“If you don’t empower the youth, then there is no point of our being here. What we are doing now is to create more opportunities for the youths.
“One of the things that we have done in this administration is that we have halved entry fees by 50 percent for students because it is better for us to catch them when that are students, exposing them to the needs to understand logistics and transport in the economy of Nigeria. The discount will make the institute to lose revenue but we are not profit making but think of benefits to our target audience which in this instance, is the youths", she stated.
The former NIMASA DG urged state governors to understand the importance of funding transportation and logistics, stressing that these investments serve as the cornerstone for all other programs and governmental objectives.
She continued by urging state governors to appoint industry experts as commissioners of transportation in each state because, in her perspective, the professionals will help the governors by giving them accurate advice on necessary investments that will assist in the flourishing of other areas in the state.
“I will advise the incoming government that the governors should appreciate how crucial it is to invest in logistics and transport because they will come up with different projects but without logistics and transport, their projects cannot become realities".
“If they say their priorities are in power, how are the equipments going to come to Nigeria? From the port where it arrives in Nigeria, how will they get to the location? It is by logistics and transport and if you don’t get that right, then the cost of investment in that project is going to be high.
“Instead of taking one or two years, it is going to delay because they had failed to pay attention to logistics and transport
“I want to encourage our governors to try their best to get experts as commissioners of transport because it is a specialised area so that they may know that the rest of all the projects in the state rest on having the transportation and.logiatics aspect correct.
“If they don’t have experts, they won’t know how to convince the governor to make sure they have sufficient budget to do what needs to be done to upgrade our logistics performance index,” she advised.
Chairman of ACALOT-CILT, Prof. Kayode Oyesiku, in his own remarks said best way to make transportation industry attractive to young individuals is to create a career in the profession for long term internship that integrates people from polytechnics/universities so that they be employed into the field immediately they graduated.
"The internship may not necessarily be one or two years, it could be three years, where you attach a group of students to the various agencies in the industry. From there, they must have been well integrated into those industries and they then absolve them. This is actually done in most countries in Europe".
"This can actually be done and CILT rules through ACALOT can actually be the driver informing the industries what they need to do. But we need to work out these particularly with the Federal Ministry of Education, National University Commission, and the National Technical Board of technical education. If we integrate this particular people into the curriculum one of our members mentioned, it would be better appreciated".
Prof. Oyesiku went on to describe the goals of the ACALOT as a forum for lecturers in the field of logistics and transport from Nigeria's tertiary institutions and from the CILT accredited Training Providers to exchange ideas, work together, talk about the most recent advancements in the field and industry, review resources, and other activities to enhance the curriculum, business, and society.
Earlier, the keynote speaker and former Corp Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corp, FRSC, Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, who delivered the keynote on "Logistics and Transportation Academics: The Fulcrum To Sustainable Development of Industry and Society", advised the government to step in and help transport owners and industry by offering soft loans so that they can be able to replace their fleet. He was speaking on the issue of old trucks and the dangers they pose to road users.
"I have been advocating this for the past 35 years and raising this issue. We have been working together with NARTO, Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners. We have been raising the issue when I was there. To put a tanker on the road is N70 million, it is not affordable. That's why they advocated for transport loan/bank, to give transport loan of single digits and I still reiterate that for government to consider having a transport bank and give loans to the transportation industry at single digit rate to be able to re-fleet. So it is a call for fleet renewal is what we are talking about".
0 Comments