It is no longer news that the Federal Government of Nigeria has removed fuel subsidy. Nigeria, at present, is worst in all development indices. In virtually every aspect of our national life from education to health, from power to utilities, from transportation to the provision of pipe borne water and to security of lives and property, there is a glaring evident of neglect and total collapse.
Any nation that plays with its transport development undermines the major engine that propels socio-economic, prosperity, political integration, security and development because transportation plays a crucial role in the functionality and liveability of cities by providing access for people to markets, education, recreation, employment, health care and other basic social services. This pervasive role of transportation led to the idea that any human society is as developed as its transportation system.
Nigeria however had all modes of transport prevalent and suitable for one form of mobility need or the other but the existing transport system in Nigeria is grossly inadequate and inefficient. Of the considerable modes of transportation in Nigeria, the road mode is the most utilized and the most unsafe. These however compound the mobility crisis. The predominance of articulated vehicles in the transportation of goods accounts for the excessive collapse of the road infrastructure. Road transportation system is highly unregulated where no restriction on entry and exit leading to multiplicity of transport unions on every roads in Nigeria.
The development of the rail transport which started 1898 led to the development of new towns and growth of existing towns along the railway routes but the existing railway network is no longer connected to the centre of activities such as seaports in the country. The railway network constructed by the colonial administration has no East-West link and has remained that way till date. The last segment of railway network extension was completed in 1964. Since then, the additions to the railway tracks in Nigeria were the 326km standard gauge lines that link Warri to Ajaokuta and its extension to Itakpe which was commissioned for commercial operations on the 29th of September, 2020, also the 188km standard gauge line from Abuja to Kaduna and the 156km standard gauge line from Lagos to Ibadan. Regrettably, the huge potential of waterways mode of transportation, which is cheap for the movement of bulky and heavy goods is presently underutilized.
Poor public transportation management in Nigeria is one of the major problems that are affecting the growth of the economy. Public transport has an important role to play in reducing social exclusion, by providing access to work, health, leisure, and employment. There are also obvious environmental benefits in promoting public transport as a means of sustainable travel. Regardless of income or social status, the conditions under which people travel have become more and more difficult and intolerable. Public transportation must drive the society. To make this a reality, public transport needs to be an attractive choice for people. According to Gustavo Petro “A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars; it is where the rich use public transportation”. In the developed countries where similar mobility problems exist, majority of the populace rely heavily on public transport for their movement. The immediate task of the government is to revamp the city bus system.
The untimely death of one chance victims in Nigeria is a serious public transportation issue. For many of us who are an advocate of public transportation to curb the menace of the persistent mobility crisis in the country, it is really a depressing scenario. The blunt truth is that public transport users, especially women, are often victims of a wide range of offenses that happen in public transport, as well as at bus stops particularly at night.
Transport problems have arisen despite annual expenditures on transport infrastructures. The road network across the country are in deplorable conditions. How can the government justify the deplorable state of the Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta road that has remained so bad? The state of the road is an eyesore as most sections of the road have completely collapsed subjecting commuters and motorists to pains and agony on daily basis. Such poor road infrastructure will adversely affect the growth and development of Nigerian economy. This is because without the necessary road infrastructure, no meaningful development can take place. The roads are so deplorable and impassable and should not be meant for commuters and goods transportation in this 21st century. For instance, the stretch of road from Sango to Abeokuta which ordinarily should not be more than a 45 minutes’ drive is now about three – four hours journey because of several potholes and gully. The country may witness a setback if the condition of the roads does not get better.
Governments have a task of creating and maintaining the institutional framework in which transport of all modes can function efficiently. Government conventionally provides transport infrastructure, determine the roles of the various modes and means by which these are to be developed, establish acceptable and where possible fair levels of competition, provide and enforce the transport laws necessary to ensure safe and efficient operation. These roles of government include the regulation and control of road transport unions. As against the usual practice in the 1950s when local government councils manage motor parks, they were later taken over by union members and thus emerged the first manifestation of the uncontrollable motor park warlords who were amenable to all forms of notoriety. The management of motor parks has not been without contentions and problems especially in urban centres in Nigeria. Governance, politics and power struggles have resulted to conflicts leading to loss of lives and properties in urban centres in Nigeria. The nature and forms of this exploitation differ from one city to another. In southern part of Nigeria, motorists are subjected to different forms of exploitation by the transport unions and police agents.
Road transport unions have over the years enjoyed mutual and cordial relationships with political office holders. The alliance has continuously been made possible based on the ability of political class to influence the dominance and emergence of custodians of governance in the transport unions and in return ensure that they reciprocate by rendering necessary assistance to ensure electoral victory.
The government must identify inadequate public transport infrastructure as a major reason why the city is unable to meet the increasing demands. The provision of public transportation services has proven to be inadequate and of a poor service quality level. However, the time has come to endow our cities with a transport system that is effectively integrated to meet both the current and future transportation needs by investing on bus and rail mass transit to address the persistent mobility crisis along the major traffic corridors. The requirement to solve the problem is government commitment to making the necessary legislative, regulatory and institutional changes, and to ensure effective enforcement of regulations. Although, some of the measures required may be politically challenging but the potential benefits are considerable.
The appointment of key officers in various transport agencies and parastatals should be based on competency and professionalism rather than political considerations.
Oluwaseyi Joseph Afolabi, Ph.D. writes from Lagos
Transport and Logistics Consultant
