Adamawa adopts PPP model for mass transit scheme

The Adamawa State Government has adopted the Public Private Partnership, PPP, model for its mass transit scheme.

The scheme is to be implemented with luxury and small buses.

Already, 10 luxury buses have been delivered to the state by the local assemblers, Innoson Motors Ltd.

Giving an update on the scheme during an interview on Saturday, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri’s Chief of Staff, Dr Amos Edgar, said the government decided on the PPP model out of three options that were considered.

Edgar, who chairs the committee of the transport segment of the state’s palliative intervention, said before choosing PPP, his committee considered but rejected direct government management and complete private control.

He said, “Deliberations of the committee favoured PPP because if we as government run it directly, it may go the same way of badly managed public enterprises, and if we concession it to private hands to manage entirely on their own, they will charge fares that will be higher than what government intends for the people.”

Speaking further, he said, “Government has acquired the buses. We will now bring in private players with their expertise to collect the fares and remit to government according to the dictates of the partnership.”

He assured that the mass transit scheme will soon begin with the rolling out of the buses.

“We are fine tuning the arrangement and ensuring that we entrust the buses in the hands of reliable managers,” Edgar said.