By Robert Egbe
The Association of Private Transport Companies of Nigeria (APTCON) has urged the Federal Government not exclude its members from benefitting from the government’s proposed stimulus plan.
It accused senior government officials of pursuing the interest of only one arm of the transport sector in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Addressing reporters at the weekend in Lagos, APTCON spokesman Audu Gaddo described the alleged plot as “evil and conspiratorial”.
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Gaddo quoted the Finance Ministry as saying that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration had concluded plans to create a special stimulus package for the aviation industry.
Alluding to a statement credited to the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Agba, during a web conference last Monday, Gaddo said: “We have noted with total displeasure government’s dangerous plans to surreptitiously bail out the aviation sector without any consideration for the road transport sector that contributes more to the GDP and employs a greater number of Nigerians.
“The thought is devious to say the least. Our sector is the one experiencing the worst distress with losses estimated at over N50 billion monthly. Indeed, our members are gearing up for some of the worst job losses Nigeria’s economy will ever know.”
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