Minister of Transportation , Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has called on the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Organization (ALCO) Member Countries’ to team up and wok towards the eradication of crime and poverty in the sub-region.
Amaechi said, fight against poverty should top member country’s’ priority as its success would help to reduce associate crimes and prostitution.
The Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Organization (ALCO) is a sub- regional Intergovernmental Organisation instituted in 2002 by the Heads of States of five West African Countries of Cote-d’Ivore, Ghana,Togo,Benin Republic and Nigeria.
The Organisation is aimed at supplementing national efforts with a cross -border response to HIV vulnerability as well as facilitate the free movement of people , goods and services in its territories.
Speaking at a one day High Level meeting of the Organisation’s Ministers of Transportation , Infrastructure and Health, in Cotonou, the Republic of Benin, on Thursday, Amaechi said,
” I don’t think our presentations are enough without considering the fight to reduce poverty. The reason prostitution is on the rise is due to the level of poverty amongst us”.
” I think we need to do more in the eradication of poverty. The reason we have people go into crime and prostitution is because of poverty. If we work together to fight poverty we would have reduced crime in our territories”,he said.
Also, on the need to improve free movement of people , goods and services among member countries, Amaechi explained that “. We need to look at the possibility of building transit truck parks because to drive from Nigeria to Ghana without one or two transit truck parks won’t be good enough”.
Also speaking, Board Chairman of ALCO and Director General, National Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS (NACA)in Nigeria, Dr. Sani Aliyu, said, since its establishment ALCO had leveraged on the support of the member countries and development partners to implement several health and transport sector programs which includes HIV/AIDS prevention among others.
He said, ALCO was poised to ” a development of corridor driven by a healthy population,fully enjoying its rights and moving freely and safely with their goods”.
Meanwhile , Amaechi had on Wednesday,(Yesterday) made a surprise inspection visit to the Seme- Karke Joint Border Post at the border of Nigeria and the Republic of Benin. Amaechi also used the occasion to interact with Nigerian officers of Custom, Immigration and the Police with the resolve that all check points on the road to Cotonou be dismantled.
The resolve is in line with the ECOWAS stance on Seme -Karke Joint Border Post with the aim of facilitating trade,transit and cross- border movement of people,goods and services among member countries.
