Ameachi made the remark at the 15th National Council on Transportation in Sokoto Monday.
He said the sector can contribute immensely in boosting socio-economic activities as well as pulling Nigeria out of recession.
According to the Minister, the sector remains the only one that provides link to the markets, industrial centres, extractive industries as well as the agricultural and allied sector.
He further noted that the transport sector promotes the development of any product within the vicinity it has comparative advantage because of linkage of the products produced to all respective markets in the country.
“The sector links the people in the North to the South and the East to the West. We are the sector that promotes the development of any product within the vicinity it has comparative advantage because we link the product to markets,”he said.
The Minister represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Sabiu Zakari, said the federal government made a modest stride in linking Apapa port to rail and bonded containers are currently being transported by rail from Apapa port to Inland Container Nigeria Limited Depot in Kaduna.
“The plan is to connect all seaports, some airports and all the Inland Container depots by rail. The vision is for a farmer in Sokoto to be able to send his goods from his farm by road to the nearest inland container depot where it would be carried by rail to one of the seaports for export to Europe, America and Asia,”he added.
In a remark, the State Deputy Governor, Ahmad Aliyu, called on the federal government to extend railway line from Kauran Namoda to Sokoto as well as the establishment of inland container deport at Illela local government area of the state.
