California to foster stronger ties with Nigeria on diaspora engagement

The Secretary, California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA), Dr Toks Omishakin has called for stronger ties between Nigeria and the State of California while leveraging the expertise, influence of the Nigerian diaspora, through infrastructure development, economic development.

Dr Omishakin who disclosed this when he led California’s delegation to meet Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission NIDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa in Abuja recently, revealed that that CalSTA is ready to invest in Nigerian states with strong investment sectors that is viable in California.
With Africa as their latest addition, he expressed CalSTA’s commitment to investing in sectors such as technology, energy, and green jobs, and highlighted the potential for collaboration with Nigerian tertiary, like the University of Lagos, to develop advanced training programmes for students.

The Secretary, Dr Omishakin expressed his general concern about air quality, affected by pollution and other environmental factors, saying transport activities contribute great share to environmental and air pollution which has significant impact on the population’s health.
In her remarks, the NIDCOM Boss said more investment should be targeted at capacity building to grow a bolstering Nigerian economy and promote brain circulation while emphasised the importance of knowledge transfer and skill development in driving economic growth.

According to the statement released by the Commission, Dabiri-Erewa highlighted the need for training programmes to equip Nigerians with the technical know-how, necessary to improve efficiency and productivity in the transportation sector.
She added that this is a step into aligning with President Tinubu’s vision of growing the country into a trillion-dollar economy while further stated that educating the public will enable them become environmentally conscious and find ways to promote activities that protects the planet.

She suggested that the California Transport Secretary to include more key actors such as Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), on research, training and capacity, praised Dr Omishakin for using his position for the common good of all, and assured him of future collaboration with the Commission.

The California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) is a state cabinet-level agency that develops and coordinates transportation policies and programmes for California, to ensure safe, sustainable, convenient and affordable transportation for its citizens.