CILT Launches ACALOT Forum, Slashes Membership Fees To Attract Youths

The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT),Nigeria on Wednesday, launched its Academics in Logistics and Transport (ACALOT) forum , as part of efforts to attract youths and students from various tertiary and professional institutions.

The forum is designed to provide a platform for lecturers in the field of Logistics and Transport in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions and from the CILT accredited training providers to share ideas, collaborate, discuss the latest developments in the discipline and industry, review resources, etc to improve the courses, industry and the society.

As a way of encouraging more membership of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) Nigeria, the institute said it had simplified the entry process even as it has given 50 percent discount on entry fee for youth and students in the transport and logistics profession.

President of the Institute, Barr. Mfon Usoro in a chat with newsmen shortly after declaring the CILT ACALOT  open, said the drive of the institute is to attract  students and  expose them to the rudiments of the profession.

According to her, the reduction in the cost of obtaining form will adversely affect the revenue drive of the institute despite the fact that CILT is not a profit making venture  but to benefit the target audience,

Usoro,  a former director general of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) pointed out that: “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.

“What I was talking about was reviewing the process of becoming a member because even the membership form was very cumbersome. Some 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.

“One of the things that we have done in this administration is that we have reduced the 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 we think of the  benefits to our target audience which in this instance, is the youths.

While advising the incoming administration to focus more professionalism, the president also called on state governors to acknowledge the importance of investing in transport and logistics saying that transport and logistics is the bedrock of all other projects and priorities in any state .

She added that state governors should engage experts in the sector as commissioners of transport in each state because according to her, the expert will help to advise the governors appropriately on necessary investments that will help other areas in the state to flourish.

“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.

Highpoint of the event was a paper presentation from the immediate past Corp Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr. Oyeyemi Boboye

By Roland Ekama