* Targets integrated, safer, more Efficient transport system
Kasim Sumaina in Abuja
The Federal Government has unveiled Nigeria’s first National Land Transport Policy, describing the framework as a major step towards building an integrated, efficient, safe, affordable and sustainable transportation system capable of supporting economic growth and national development.
Unveiling the policy in Abuja on Thursday at the 19th National Council on Transportation, Vice-President Kashim Shettima said transportation remained central to the nation’s economy because it connects workers, families, businesses, markets and communities.
He the Federal Government’s transportation strategy was anchored on the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, stressing that the administration was determined to provide infrastructure capable of supporting a productive, competitive and interconnected economy.
According to him, the government’s approach was shifting from the development of isolated transportation projects to the creation of an integrated national network in which roads, railways, ports, inland waterways and aviation complement one another.
He said the objective was to ensure that transport infrastructure connected production centres with markets, ports and consumers, while improving the movement of people and goods across the country.
The vice-president, representated by the Director-General of General Duties, Aliyu Modibbo Umar, highlighted the government’s railway modernisation programme, describing it as a critical component of the country’s transportation strategy.
He said the administration was pursuing the development of major rail corridors to improve connectivity across the eastern, central and northern parts of Nigeria, while also strengthening links between ports, railways, roads and logistics hubs.
He specifically cited the Kano-Maradi Railway Project, which links Kano through Jigawa and Katsina to Maradi in the Republic of Niger, saying the project would support domestic connectivity, cross-border trade and regional integration.
He also stressed the importance of linking ports to rail and road networks to facilitate efficient cargo evacuation and reduce pressure on highways.
“Rail must connect to roads. Rail to production centres and markets, while roads provide first- and last-mile access,” he said, stressing that no single mode of transportation could adequately meet the country’s needs in isolation.
Shettima also drew attention to the need for integrated urban transportation, particularly as Nigerian cities grapple with congestion and inefficient movement.
He said the Federal Government had approved high-grade urban transportation projects and urged the Minister of Transportation to work with participating states to establish clear technical, institutional, regulatory and implementation arrangements without unnecessary delays.
He said the success of the projects would provide a model that could be replicated in other Nigerian cities.
Speaking in similar vein, a former Minister of Transportation, Senator Said Ahmed Alkali, described the unveiling as a historic development, noting that the National Land Transport Policy was the first comprehensive policy of its kind for the transport sector since Nigeria’s independence.
Alkali described the unveiling as a historic development, stating that the National Land Transport Policy was the first comprehensive policy of its kind for the transport sector since Nigeria’s independence.
He commended President Tinubu for creating an enabling environment for the Federal Ministry of Transportation to facilitate the policy’s approval by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on July 31, 2025, during his tenure as minister.
He said the absence of a comprehensive land transport policy had made it difficult for the Federal Ministry of Transportation to effectively regulate the sector, particularly in the face of emerging and increasingly complex transportation challenges.
According to him, “The policy aligns with the administration’s eight-point priority agenda and provides a framework for developing a fast, safe, efficient, affordable, convenient, integrated and intermodal transport system.”
In his address, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Mr. Olufunso Adebiyi, said the theme of the council was particularly relevant to the Federal Government’s efforts to build a transportation system capable of supporting economic growth, national connectivity and improved quality of life.
Adebiyi said integration meant ensuring that Nigeria’s different modes of transportation did not develop independently but functioned as components of a single national system.
“Our roads, railways, ports, inland waterways and urban transport systems must connect people and goods efficiently across the country, and increasingly, across our borders,” he said.
He identified the operational Lagos-Ibadan and Abuja-Kaduna railway corridors as part of the progress recorded towards that objective, while noting that work was progressing on the Kaduna-Kano segment of the Lagos-Kano Railway Modernisation Project.
The event, held at the National Judicial Institute, Jahi, drew stakeholders from federal and state governments, National Assembly, transport agencies and the private sector.
The council, which ran from August 31 to September 3, 2026, was held with the theme, ‘Developing an Effective Transport System for Nigeria: The Role of Integrated Transportation.’