Transport and logistics experts say Nigeria’s problem is not a shortage of ideas. They blame weak political will and poor follow-through for the country’s failure to build an integrated transport system.
They spoke at the second Transport Summit, held in Lagos over the weekend. The theme was “Navigating Global Disruption and the Road Ahead: Mobility, Energy and Trade Facilitation for a Resilient Future.”
The discussion followed a paper by Dr Femi Aiyegbajeje, a senior lecturer at the University of Lagos. Titled “Rail-Led Multimodal Integration,” it looked at how rail can improve trade and national connectivity.
Dr Azeez Mustapha, Managing Principal of AZ Logistics, said the country has the capacity to deliver. “What Nigeria lacks is implementation,” he said. He pointed to talks on linking the Lagos rail network to airports. Such projects, he said, will succeed only if governments sustain them. He urged all tiers of government to prioritise execution and design solutions that fit local realities.
Olubowala Ade-Onojobi, Managing Director of Expedite Movers Nigeria Limited, made a similar point. She said successive administrations keep announcing new policies without making the old ones work. She asked authorities to show how current policies are being implemented. She added that Nigeria can learn from the UK’s transport system but should not copy foreign models blindly.
Oluwadamilola Emmanuel, the Lagos governor’s Special Adviser on Blue Economy, offered a more hopeful view. He argued that Nigeria does not need to import a full transport model. Instead, he said, it should build on its own initiatives. He cited the Lagos State Cowry Card, which lets commuters pay for boats, Bus Rapid Transit buses and rail with one platform. In his view, a common payment system makes travel easier and links different modes.
Kingsley Anaroke, Publisher of MMS Plus Newspaper, called for a meeting of Nigerian transport experts. The group, he said, should draw up a practical framework for integrating the sector. He argued that the country has the people to design a good system but has failed to use their skills or keep policies running. He noted that the Cabotage policy has not delivered its full benefits. He also warned that foreign models bring little progress if local problems go unaddressed.
