Nigerian Society of Engineers Annual Conference Proceedings CANAAN 2011

ROAD TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM AS A VIABLE TOOL FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA.

JONES NWADIKE
MNSE, MICE, MASCE, MNCS, KSM, MJS
SEAT OF WISDOM SCHOOLS, JAPAVISCA ENGINEERING COMPANY LIMITED YARD
OFF PLOT 184 OLD PH ABA EXPRESSWAY, MBANO CAMP JUNCTION, OYIGBO
RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA.
e-mail: amara1jones@yahoo.co.uk
GSM No. 08032630023

Abstract
The aims and objectives of this study are to evaluate
the structure of road transportation system in Nigeria,
identify the problems that are confronting road
transportation system and proffer solutions to the
problems and highlight the contribution of road on
nation building. The study evaluates the immense
contribution of road transportation system towards
stimulating productivity and all other economic
activities in Nigeria that enhance social development
objectives.
The study concludes that without effective and
efficient road transportation system in Nigeria all
other economic activities would come to a halt. More
so, going by the present poverty alleviation program
of the government in meeting the Vision 20:2020, the
role of road transportation system in the provision of
job opportunities and invariably improving the
standard of living of the people cannot be over
emphasized.
Introduction
Some years ago and beyond before the 2011 NSE
Conference Theme came out, that is, Effective
Transportation System in Nigeria The Way
Forward, the basic question was: Has Nigeria a
road transportation system? For some years past my
own thinking was this: We hear of road
transportation system in Nigeria planned and
constructed or being planned and constructed by
European, Asian and American. What of Nigerian
planned and constructed roads? This motivated me to
trace the history of Nigerian people and discover the
following pertinent facts in this years Conference
Theme.

remains of homo habilis and homo erectus who

are the ancestors of man were found in Nigeria, via
East Africa, near Victoria about two million years
ago. From homo erectus developed homo sapiens
(the wise man). By six to seven thousand years ago,
the main racial types of human beings we have today
were already settled down in Nigeria with roads and
doing agriculture, manufacturing and livestock
raising (E.M.P. Edeh, 2009)1. It should be noted that
the archaeological findings do not contradict the
biblical account of creation. The efforts of
archaeologists and paleontologists are nothing but
human attempts at pinpointing where and when God
breathed life giving breath (the soul) into mans
nostril (cf. Gen. 2:7).
This brief discussion on the genesis of man in Nigeria
helps us to understand how deep and original is road,
which is typified in Nigerian road transportation
system history. Hence, proper road transportation
system cannot be said to be borrowed from Europe,
Asian or America. With due respect to the biblical
account of creation of man by God, man has lived in
Nigeria (Africa) from the earliest times. Thus it is
right to say that road transportation system in Nigeria
is as old as man. This knowledge of the ancient origin
of Nigerians helps us to understand the source of road
transportation system as a viable tool for economic
development in Nigeria. If the roads had been
borrowed from other people, the originality of certain
road arteries and veins will be attributed more or less
to Nigerians, depending on whether they were
inherited from Nigerians or from the people from
whom they migrated. The ancient origin of Nigerians
helps us to comprehend the Nigerian identity which
designates the Nigerians as a people of their own
with centuries of socio-economic, cultural and
political development, an ancient race and a unique
capacity for economic development using road
transportation system as a viable tool.
A road transportation system may be defined as a
thoroughfare, route or pathway on land between two
places, which typically has been paved or otherwise
improved to allow travel by some conveyance of
goods and persons from one place to another. The
elements or physical components of a transport
system are referred to as the facilities. Road

Nigeria, the largest country in Africa (The second

largest and the most populous continent in the world
after Asia) consists of great block of an ancient rock
that has been little disturbed over two hundred
million years, except for periodic uplift and erosions.
From the most recent findings of archaeologists and
paleontologists, it is evident that Nigeria is
historically the most senior of the countries of the
world in the sense of sustaining human life. In fact,
mans ancestors first become differentiated from the
primates in Nigeria, via East Africa. The fossilized
Nigerian Society of Engineers Annual Conference Proceedings CANAAN 2011

transportation system provides the connectivity that

facilitates other societal interactions.
The structural road design aims to ensure that the
road is strong enough for the expected number of
vehicles in a certain number of years. The input of a
calculation is the number expected of vehicles (e.g.
10,000,000) divided in groups (e.g. trucks, vans, cars)
and the number of years that the road has to function
before the road structure has to be fully renewed (e.g.
20 years). Note that the given example of 20 years
does not mean that there is no maintenance during
this period. There is a certain amount of maintenance,
but it can be scheduled and is low. Traditionally, the
design is done by civil engineers, including soil and
foundation engineers, structural engineers, the design
of drainage systems and geometric design which is
concerned with the physical proportioning of the
elements.
Economic development is a broad term that generally
refers to the sustained, concerted effort of policy
makers and community to promote the standard of
living and economic health in a specific area. Such
effort can involve multiple areas including
development of human capital, critical infrastructure,
regional
competitiveness,
environmental
sustainability, social inclusion, health, safety, literacy
and other initiatives. It should be noted that economic
development differs from economic growth, whereas
economic development is a policy intervention
endeavor with aims of economic and social wellbeing of people, economic growth is a phenomenon
of market productivity and rise in Gross Domestic
Product. Economic growth is one aspect of the
process of economic development.
Justification / Significance of the Study
Little research is known to have been undertaken on
the road transportation system as a viable tool for
economic development in Nigeria. A study like the
current one undertaken is therefore timely as it
examined the viability, profitability or otherwise and
economic development in the study area. The study
aims at evaluating the immense contribution of road
transportation
system
towards
stimulating
productivity and other economic activities in Nigeria.
The role of transportation system in trade,
manufacture, commerce and agriculture cannot be
swept under the carpet because the movement of
people and goods from one place to another is very
important.
Methods and Organization of the Study
The study adopts exploratory method of research to
examine and discuss relevant issues of interest in the

history of Nigeria road transportation system as a

viable tool for economic development. Thus, the
paper reviews existing literature on road
transportation system in Nigeria. Because of the
nature of the study (macro), the writer relies on
published documents in the area of road transport
system using commissioned studies,
noncommissioned studies and published works from
various sources. Some of these secondary sources are
narrow in perspective and scope but they serve as
useful materials for researchers wanting to embark on
a macro-study. Others include library books, previous
road works planned, designed and constructed by the
author, detailed investigations done on roads by
author, internet and articles from learned journals.
During the study there was no case where anybody or
scholar delved into discussing developing road
equipment manufacturing industry in Nigeria as a
viable tool for economic development. The study is
organized in five (5) sections apart from the
introduction, justification and methods of study.
These are: road transportation system structure and
development, road transportation system as a viable
tool for socioeconomic development in Nigeria,
problems of road transportation system development
in Nigeria, suggestions for improvement and
conclusion.
Road Transportation System Structure and
Development
In the early 1900s the existing roads were widened,
surfaced and developed into modern road
transportation system essentially as a feeder network
for the new railroads by British Colonial Officers.
After the amalgamation of the two protectorates of
Northern and Southern Nigeria in 1914 under the
Governor-Generalship of Sir Frederick Lugard, the
government established a basic grid of two NorthSouth trunk roads from Lagos and Port Harcourt to
Kano and several East-West roads, two North and
two South of the natural division created by the Niger
and Benue rivers. The roads were not fully developed
until the advent of motor vehicles in the late 1920s
and late 1930s. The end of Second World War (1945)
actually marked the period when the country was
served with adequate network of all season roads for
lorry and passenger car traffic. According to
Ogunbodede E.F. (2008)2, 3, the roads were designed,
to serve two major objectives. First, they were meant
to extend the commercial hinterlands opened up by
the government railways by linking up the nearest
urban centers with the major railway stations. The
second was to reduce the strains thrown on the inland
provinces in the provision of porters for the British
Colonial Officers. The growth of road transportation

Nigerian Society of Engineers Annual Conference Proceedings CANAAN 2011

was slowed down by the financial and labor

constraints. However, the total length of road
constructed and maintained by the government and
native authorities rose to about 51,000km in 1946 and
74,000km in 1960 when the country became
independent and a republic in 1963 after more than
half a century of British rule2. According to
Ogunbodede E.F. (2008), the relics of British rule
have since remained in every aspect of Nigeria life.
Prominent of such relics are road transportation,
education and the pattern of governance in the
country. In later decades, roads linked all parts,
although the concentration of roads is much heavier
in the two Southern Regions than in the more
sparsely populated Northern Region. In 1978 an
expressway was constructed from Lagos to Ibadan,
and a branch from this route was later extended east
to Benin City. Another expressway connected Port
Harcourt with Enugu. In 1990 Nigeria had 108,000
kilometers of roads, of which 30,000 kilometers were
paved, 25,000 kilometers were gravel, and the rest
were unimproved earth2. Carrying 95% of all the
nation's goods and passengers, the roads constituted
by far the most important element in the
transportation network. The poor maintenance and
rehabilitation of these roads for past years due to civil
war forced the government to shift its emphasis from
constructing new roads to repairing existing ones.

Massive traffic jams were reported in most large

cities, and there were long delays in the movement of
goods. Safety standards were low in 1988 more than
30,000 accidents and 8,000 highway deaths were
reported. In 1991 and 2003, the population of Nigeria
stood at 88.9 and 150 millions respectively with a
land area of about 923,773 km. The total kilometer of
widened and surfaced road transportation system
across Nigeria, were, 51,428km.
Road transportation in Nigeria is classified into four
(4) broad groups. Federal Roads or Trunk A 8,800
km, this represented the skeleton on which the
countrys road transportation system is built. This
trunk represented the main North-South arteries and
five East-West arteries. The Federal Road Trunk F these were formerly under state ownership, but were
taken over by the Federal Government, with a view
to upgrading them to Federal highway standards. The
Trunk B roads, of which there were 7,360 km,
connected the provincial network with the skeleton
trunk A road system. The trunk C, known as
provincial roads of which there were 57,480kms form
the main network linking up with other trunk roads in
the country. Table 1 shows Nigeria roads by
classification, surfacing and at state level as at 20034.
Trunk D roads are those within rural-urban and are
owned and managed by communities or companies
operating within the environments5.

Table 1: Structure of Road Ownership

Source: CBN Research Dept. Occasional Paper No. 27, 2003

Paved Main Roads

Unpaved Main Roads
Urban Roads
Main Rural Roads
Village Access Roads
Total
Percent

Federal Roads
26,500
5,600

32,100
17

State Roads
10,400
20,100

30,500
16

L.G. Roads

21,900
72,800
35,900
130,600
67

Total
36,900
25,700
21,900
72,800
35,900
193,200
100

Percent
19
13
11
38
19
100
100

The period between 1976 and 1970 witnessed no

taken over from the state government by the Federal
development in road transportation pavement because
Government for construction. The Federal
of the Nigerian civil war, which took place during
Government took this step because of the advantages
that period. This period and the financial resources of
derivable from the construction of more road
the country were devoted to the execution of the
transportation system. This advantages include
Nigerian civil war. The period between 1971 and
fostering internal trade between areas of the country,
1975 coincided with the policy of the Nigerian
that were not accessible by any other mode of
Government to rehabilitate and maintain the war torn
transportation and the development of natural
areas. Thus, money was earmarked for the
resources of the remote areas of the country. The
reconstruction and rehabilitation of the road
planning, designing, construction, maintenance and
transportation in the Eastern part of Nigeria, which
rehabilitation of new roads were also undertaken in
were largely damaged during the civil war when all
other to raise the standard of living of the Easterners
economic activities were halted. Similarly, in other
because of the negative effect of war in that region.
parts of the country, a large proportion of roads were
Other reasons for the take-over of some road
Nigerian Society of Engineers Annual Conference Proceedings CANAAN 2011
4

networks construction by the Federal Government

according to Oni (2006) was the reduction in road
traffic accidents, which had been achieved on many
of the roads because of their improved designs in
terms of width and strength. Since 1975 and through
the 3rd and 4th Development Plans and rolling plans,
the Federal Government used road construction as
instrument to gain political points because its
structures were better appreciated aesthetically and
spatially. Thus, the military and civilian governments
at Federal, State and Local Government levels
embarked on many roads construction that
culminated in the present dense nature of Nigerias
road transportation system6.

management techniques adopted in the city

centers. Thus, as the States increased, the
administrative headquarters also increased
thereby influenced road transportation, that
were planned, designed, constructed,
maintained and rehabilitated. Thus by 1996,
road transportation in 36 major urban
centers in Nigeria had undergone series of
transformation in terms of construction,
maintenance and rehabilitation. Similarly,
commuting distance within the cities and
rural area continued to increase because of
rapid growth in population, housing

The creation of States, which was intense,

therefore had many implications to road
transportation facilities as well as the traffic
d area extent. Figure 1 and 2 shows the new look Ring road, Benin City and Abuja 7 road
network.

Figure 1: The new look Ring road, Benin City

However, it was reported in 2011 that only 15% of

the Nigerias road transportation system are in good
condition. Incredible it sounds, but it is a stark
reality. The scary statistics was released by the Rural
Access and Mobility Project (RAMP), under the
auspices of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture. It
showed that about 15 percent of more than 160,000
kilometers of secondary and tertiary roads are road
worthy7.
The RAMP verdict came barely 72 hours after
Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu urged the
Federal Government to declare a national emergency
on Nigerian roads. He spoke during a courtesy visit
on Works Minister Mike Olotememen at work. The
RAMP statistics also stated that the hinterlands,
which have a large population of Nigerians, have the
greatest share of bad roads, 70% of which are in the
rural areas. National Co-ordinator of RAMP
Ubandoma Ularamu, an engineer, made the
revelations in Osogbo, Osun State, at the opening of
2011 retreat and review meeting. His words: Out of
over 160,000 kilometer of secondary and tertiary

Figure 2: Abuja 7 road network

roads in Nigeria, with an average registered network

of 4,000 kilometers per state, only about 10 15% is
paved. While a large proportion of this network
remains in poor or very poor condition with only
15% of Federal roads in good condition. It is sad to
note that rural roads, which are statutorily referred to
as Local Government roads which constitutes about
132,000 kilometer (68%) of the entire road networks
in Nigeria is the worst hit by this state of disrepair.
high transport cost, long travel time, huge
post harvest losses and high rate of auto-accidents.
Explaining the negative effect on agriculture,
Ularamu recalled that studies carried out in 2006
revealed that about 20% of total farm produce never
reached the market. The Federal Government decided
to implement RAMP in Kaduna and Cross River
states where they were designed to meet the needs of
each state, one of which had 132 numbers of river
crossings. The coordinator noted that RAMP had
proved to be a huge success in the two pilot states,
which had elicited the interest from other states that
have shown willingness to use RAMP strategies to

Nigerian Society of Engineers Annual Conference Proceedings CANAAN 2011

address their rural road development problems. The

project, according to Ularamu, had adopted the
Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) in selecting the
states wishing to participate in RAMP to meet two
criteria of governance and readiness.

Ularamu submitted that unless these issues were

strongly addressed, the huge sums of money
expended on roads could end up being wasted.
Figure 3, Map of Road Transportation System in
Nigeria8.

Expressway
Trunk
Road
Secondary
Road
Other Road or Track
Track
Vehicle

Figure 3: Map of Road Transportation System in Nigeria.

Source: Macmillan Nigeria Secondary Atlas, 2006. Pg. 31.

Road Transportation System as a viable Tool for

Socioeconomic Development in Nigeria
The need to open up the economic and settlement
frontiers of the country was the major factor that
influenced this study. Increasing the supply of export
products such as cocoa, palm produce, cotton,
petroleum and groundnuts that were moved to the
ports by the railways and helping the rural
settlements realize their productive potentials. Due to
this viability of transportation system, Nigeria has the
best free market economies on the African Continent
and is a motive force and backbone for setting up
road equipment manufacturing industry. In area of
poverty alleviation in communities, agriculture, job
creation in various areas, improvement in businesses
in villages to decongest cities, free flow of goods,
services and people from different parts of the
country to another (even outside) and others, road
transportation system is excellent. 80% of all goods
moved by trucks over roads and 85% of all persons
are transported by cars, buses or coaches on roads.
The commuting distances in rural-urban have
increased. There were 6,822 vehicles in Nigeria by
1946 made up of 4,702 relicensed and 2115 new

10
0

20
0

Scale 1:11 000 000

Conformal Conic
Projection

ones. The figures soared to 20,440 by 1950 made up

of 14,200 re-licensed and 6,240 new ones. The
vehicle stock grew gradually from this time up to
1970 when it shot up astronomically9.
The vehicles newly registered dropped from 57,883
in 1994 (due to high cost) to 57,471 in 1995 and
picked to 97,371 in 1996. Other means by which new
vehicles were increased in the country was through
Federal Urban Mass Transportation and Government
parastatals that acquired vehicles through their annual
subventions. The Federal Government of Nigeria
recognized that the development of road
transportation system is essential to the viability and
development of the economy and for this purpose,
13.1%, 15.8%, 19.0% and 12.7% of the total gross
capital expenditure from 1955 to 1959 was devoted
to road transport (Robinson Hamlin et al, 1963).
Since then, the first, second, third and fourth National
Development Plans (1960-68; 1970-74; 1975-80)
also had more than 25% of the total allocation to
Development Plans devoted to transport sector. The
preference of Government to the provision of road
transportation infrastructures later influenced the

Nigerian Society of Engineers Annual Conference Proceedings CANAAN 2011

provision of transport services not only in the urban

centers but as well, as inter urban services9.
The Nigerian government set up a task force to look
into the urban transportation problems and proffer
solutions. The task force gave birth to Mass Transit
Implementation Committee, which recommended
among other things provision of buses, spare-parts
and other transport complimentary facilities for
Nigerians. The introduction of the Federal Urban
Mass Transit Program (FUMTP) ushered in a number
of policies that made the Mass Transit a success.
Such policies include monitoring and providing
guidelines on Nigerias urban transport system.
Similarly, seminars / workshops to review problems
relating to road transportation were largely
undertaken. As at 2010, the lists of selected Nigerian
road transport common carriers has developed to six
thousand (6,000). One-way by which the public
responded in beefing up supply of public transport
was the use of big buses and mini buses as means of
rural-urban transportation. Setting up of road
equipment manufacturing industry in Nigeria will
boost economic development and also improve road
transportation structural design and construction.

Road transportation system development serves as a

catalyst that promotes a virtuous circle of economic
development. The reduction in input costs and
improved producer prices lead to improved
profitability of agricultural and industrial production,
creating an incentive to increase output. At the same
time, greater access to investment funds permits the
expansion of capacity required to enable producers to
expand production in accordance with this incentive
and also facilitates upgrading of the technology of
production.
Economies of scale combine with improved
productivity from capital deepening to further
improve margins and provide additional impetus for
investments.
Increases in levels of production bring with them
increased demand for road transportation services,
improving profitability and encouraging further
investment in road transportation itself. This in turn
leads to improved service frequency and larger scale
units of production (buses, lorries, trailers), providing
a basis for the next cycle of improvements in the
agricultural and manufacturing production of the
cities served. A schematic representation of these
processes is provided in Figure 410.

Figure 4: Schematic Representation of Relationship between Road Transportation and

Economic Development

Problems
of Road
Transportation System
Development in Nigeria
The condition of Nigerian road transportation system
is horrible and it ranks among the worst in the world.

This is evident in the harrowing experiences and

agonizing tales associated with road travels across the
country. Nigerian roads whether Federal or State,
have dwelled more on their dilapidated state,

Nigerian Society of Engineers Annual Conference Proceedings CANAAN 2011

characterized by gullies and craters and have become

an embarrassing stigma11. Normal interaction has
been frustrated by bad roads and vehicle owners are
in distress as their vehicles are not used optimally.
Some roads constructed over 30 years ago have not
been rehabilitated for once, resulting in major cracks
(longitudinal and transverse), depressions, broken

Figure 5 Washed off section of

road during rainy season
Some of the roads require total rehabilitation and
asphalt overlay, reinstatement of the shoulders, filling
of potholes and building of collapsed bridges
(Nnanna O.J. et al 2003). Moreover, the very many
potholes and detours mean that vehicles keep
breaking down so that on many of Nigeria's roads
emergency mechanics have sprung up to assist
stranded commuters sometimes with disastrous
consequences. Touting by some government officers
along the road is a major problem to road users and
the road transportation system. Transporters are
hurting and are bewildered that despite their payment
of all road taxes to the Federal Government and the
various rates to the State and Local Governments,
little is being done to repair the roads upon which
their livelihood depends. It is common for thieves,
armed robbers, rapists and other miscreants to
ensconce themselves in bad portions of the roads
where all vehicles virtually come to a halt.
Commuters are in trouble whether in the city or on
interstate highways as bad roads make it impossible
to plan a journey or predict arrival time. Economic
activities are suffering as goods and services are now
in short supply leading to price increases in
practically all consumer items. But all this is
happening in a country where there are several
agencies, including the Federal Ministry of Works
responsible for the construction and maintenance of
roads. Every State and Local Government is charged
with the responsibility of construction and
maintenance of roads. The Federal Government at
least on paper has voted billions for the rehabilitation
of our road network. Previous Federal Ministers of
Works have assured that contracts had been awarded,
but nothing concrete ever happens on the ground 11,
12
.

down bridges and numerous potholes that make road

transport slow and unsafe. On many roads, the
shoulder, a major component of the road had eroded
off, putting the roads in near impassable condition.
Figures 5 and 6 shows a section of where economic
activity was halted due to bad road.

Figure 6 Pothole problem

A survey conducted by the Central Bank of Nigeria

(CBN) on the state of highways in the country in
December 2002 revealed that road transportation
system had remained poor for a number of reasons
such as faulty designs, lack of good drainage system,
use of thin coatings that are easily washed away;
excessive use of the road network due to
underdeveloped nature of waterways and railways
which could have served as alternative means of
transport; absence of an articulated road transport
policy, inadequate funds for road maintenance and
fund mismanagement.
Yet in 2011 budget, the Federal Government
approved a total of N
= 116 billion to rehabilitate and
reconstruct 26 of the roads which cover a total of
34,000 km across the country. In fact, that decision
which was seen as a step in the right direction, was
hailed by the Nigerian Association of Road Transport
Owners, NARTO, and the Petroleum Tankers
Drivers, PTD, unit of Nigerian Union of Petroleum
and Natural Gas Workers NUPENG which also
suggested the introduction of weighbridges across the
country as a necessary measure to protect the
infrastructure when completed. Government said
selection of the roads was based on such criteria as
their socio-economic importance, their state of
disrepair and the urgency of the need to repair them.
But nine months after the huge contract was awarded,
work is yet to start on those roads. This is the source
of renewed worry for those who use these roads.
Speaking on the state of Nigerian roads, Alhaji Lawal
Isa, who is the national operations coordinator of
NARTO, said, The present level of deterioration is
unprecedented in the history of road management in
Nigeria. It has never been this bad even during the
civil war years in the 60s.

Nigerian Society of Engineers Annual Conference Proceedings CANAAN 2011

As if to corroborate him, in his lecture last October,

Chief Emeka Anyaoku, former Secretary General of
the Commonwealth observed that Nigerian roads are
worse than those in war devastated Iraq and
Afghanistan. Anyaoku asked: Do our government,
ministers and leaders who travel often and see the
condition in other countries never feel embarrassed
by the condition of roads in our resource-rich
country?
Recently, the Senate ad-hoc committee that
investigated the decay in infrastructure in the
transport sector revealed that over 80 percent of
Federal roads in the country have collapsed. The
lawmakers, who toured all the areas, estimated that,
27,200 kilometers out of 34,000 kilometers Federal
road network are completely out of use.
One man who is not so worried about the roads is Mr.
Samuel Obayemi, the Public Education Officer at the
headquarters of the Federal Road Safety Corps,
FRSC. He said: The roads are safe, safe in the sense
that we have discovered that most of the roads are in
very bad condition and because the average road user
is aware of this, I expect that when they travel on
such roads, they would exercise a lot of care and
patience. Once you know that there are problems, I
want to believe that the problems are half solved. So,
because we Nigerians are aware of the present
condition of our roads, I will say they are safe. So
far, the FRSC has identified eight roads as black
spots located on Lokoja Okene Road; Abuja
Lokoja Road; Gwagwalada Deidei Karu Road
and Benin Ore Road. The others are Kaduna Birni
Gwari Road; Bauchi Gombe Road; Bauchi
Darazo Road; Kano Katsina Road.
He maintained that if an accident occurs in a
particular place, where 60 or 50 persons die and no
other accident occurs at the spot in another two years,
the place would not qualify to be described as a black
spot. Mr. Obayemi said many causes of road
accidents include over speeding, bad weather, over
loading and drunkenness, which the FRSC has been
educating the general public on.
What is particularly annoying to the NARTO boss is
that whereas other areas of the transport sector have
witnessed appreciable improvement, the same cannot
be said about road transportation which accounts for
more traffic than the other modes combined.
According to him, the implication of this is that the
slow pace of road project execution can affect our
capacity for the challenges of Vision 20:2020. Not
only this, he said they might resolve to boycott the
roads that remain in the state of disrepair by the
commencement of the next rainy season.
Awarding emergency contracts near Christmas time
which also happens to coincide with the end of the

financial year does not seem to be a sustainable way

of managing our bad roads. Contracts that are
awarded at the end of a year are often abandoned in
the New Year with no one bothering to ask questions.
Burning of road surfaces during festivals, especially
New Year eve and leaving of debris on the road.
Is it a deliberate attempt by the concern authority to
confuse the masses and the elites due to the shortage
of highway and bridges professionals in the country?
How many roads and bridges expert do we have in
the country? Can the body responsible (Federal
Ministry of Works) boast of any seasoned updated
roads and bridge experts or road equipment
manufacturing industry?
Failing to address corruption, that is a major inhibitor
at every stage of road transportation system
management. This is evident considering the fact that
the consultants and contractors the Federal Ministry
of Works relied on for this planning, construction,
rehabilitation and maintenance are mere traders. It is
an open secret for those who care to investigate and
follow the affairs of the industry that some foreigners
have taken over the industry, pushing contractors and
consultants of high repute out of the business.
No road equipment manufacturing industry in the
country. All equipment are imported.
The roads are not designed for expansion as the
volume of traffic increases, road construction should
be seen to be keeping pace accordingly.
Below are more problems bedeviling institutional
arrangements regarding road transportation system in
Nigeria:
- The various governmental bodies involved have
been unable to respond to the functions which they
are supposed to be rendering due to certain human,
technical and financial constraints.
- Road transportation system in Nigeria is
characterized by proliferation of management bodies.
This has clearly created overlaps and conflicts in the
provision and management of road transportation
infrastructures and services and the enforcement of
traffic laws and regulations.
- The functions and the level of involvement of the
three tiers of government are not clear. Their roles
overlaps are duplicated and confused. Whereas
successful implementation of rural-urban road
transportation policy can only be meaningful within
the context of an effective, coherent and well
coordinated institutional framework.
- The present Federal system arrangements put road
transportation predominantly under the control of
Local Government. Local Government manages 67%
of roads, State Government 27% and Federal
Government 6% only. Whereas, the Local
Government is grossly under-funded and it lacks fund
generating drive, technical expertise and other

Nigerian Society of Engineers Annual Conference Proceedings CANAAN 2011

resources to provide for efficient road transportation

infrastructure and service delivery.
- Inadequate routine maintenance and neglect of
periodic and emergency maintenance coupled with
poor initial design and construction. These factors
shorten the useful life of the roads and increase the
operating cost of vehicles.
- There is a lack of coordination in the construction
and maintenance of the various road networks and a
lack of a coherent national road policy, consistent
regulation and application of road standards.
- Most operators of goods and passenger vehicles
have limited professional and business capacity
resulting in inefficient and ineffective services.
- Road design standards have not kept pace with
increasing traffic volumes and vehicle weights and
poor axle load control causes significant damage to
the road transportation system.
- A lack of road markings, safety and caution barriers
and signage contribute to the high accident and
casualty rate on all roads.
Suggestions for Improvement
We cannot solve problems using the same kind of
thinking that created them. Albert Einstein (1879
1955)
While the Nigerian government continue to award
road construction contracts to the same companies
that have constructed substandard roads in the past,
sectional failure of new road construction is now
common. You could say the devil is in the details
and not be far from the glaring truth. If we are to
believe that government intentions are devoid of
latent agenda, we would expect the government to
upgrade superbly, the nations road network (part of
the nations decaying infrastructure) to fulfil a critical
existential component of the nations economic
development. We are only interested in design and
construction, neglecting the normal simple
international procedures of planning, designing,
construction,
maintenance
and
rehabilitation
(PDCMR).
A developing country like Nigeria needs a highly
developed and well functioning road equipment
manufacturing
industry
with
equipment
manufacturing engineers and viable transportation
system. Nigerian government should endeavor to
initiate policies in order to minimize the influx of the
fairly used road equipment and vehicles otherwise
known as Tokunbo or Belgium into the country.
The influx of fairly used road equipment and vehicles
into Nigeria have undermined the economy of the
country and subsequently turned the country into a
dumping ground for these road equipment and

vehicles. Government should enunciate policy

guidelines that would standardize the influx of these
road equipment and vehicles into the country.
The Nigerian Government should direct the Federal
Road Safety Commission (FRSC) to broaden the
responsibility of the Rescue Department of the
Commission by establishing a National Emergency
Rescue Project. This is to give prompt and adequate
attention to victims of accidents. Other measures
include the introduction of traffic rules as practiced in
advanced countries like the off-side rules, humps and
bumps. The resuscitation of lane-markings equally
would help minimize road accidents.
There is need for improvement in road planning and
designing. This is because roads in Nigeria have no
place for pedestrians, bicycle users and even the
disabled. It is a vestige of our colonial history which
needs to be reversed.
The Zonal Director of Federal Road Maintenance
Agency (FERMA), South-West zone, Engineer
Olatayo Komolafe, in an interview with Saturday
Tribune pointed out that the primary mandate of
FERMA was maintenance of the Federal roads only
and not to reconstruct and that FERMA is
constrained by lack of funds. Most of these roads
were built in the mid-70s and the early 80s and the
life span of a standard highway is about 15 years, and
that therefore virtually all these roads had
deteriorated beyond maintenance. He further posited
that the function of FERMA is to bring the
deteriorating structure back to its original state. He,
however, stated that in view of the collapse of these
roads, what the roads need is rehabilitation or
reconstruction depending on the level of
deterioration.
Therefore, it is recommended that, a State Highway
and Transportation Official (SHTO) be formed, this
will be coupled and work towards and target Public
Private Partnership (PPP). This SHTO-PPP will
consist of the principal executive and engineering
officers of high integrity from the various 36 states
and the CEO of the participating privates companies.
The sole duties of this body will be the development,
operation, and maintenance of our nation-wide
highway infrastructures.
Conclusion
As I come to the end of this presentation let me go a
little back to my point of departure. Road
transportation system as shown through my
articulation of factors affecting road transportation
system and suggestions for improvement has
demonstrated and revealed that it is the motive force
of population agglomerations and it is like the
bloodline on which the survival of the rural-urban
fabric depends. The study also revealed that no rural-

Nigerian Society of Engineers Annual Conference Proceedings CANAAN 2011

10

urban center can function optimally without an

effective road transportation system, while the
circulation routes are like the arteries and veins of the
body, the vehicles constitute the blood that make the
rural-urban fabric survive.
The study concludes that Nigeria which has the best
free market economies on the African continent due
to viability of transportation system should develop
and open road equipment manufacturing industry.
When Nigeria develops the concept of good road
equipment manufacturing industry, then the nation
will boast of meeting the Vision 20:2020. Without
good road equipment manufacturing industry in the
country and good roads, there will be no uniform and
decent development. Road construction equipment is
a motive force and backbone for meeting
socioeconomic development in Nigeria.
The study also concludes that without viable and
effective road transportation in Nigeria all economic
activities would come to a halt. More so, going by the
present poverty alleviation program of the
Government the role of road transportation in the
provision of job creation and invariably improving
the standard of living of the people cannot be over
emphasized.
The study stated that Nigeria must also plan for the
future mobility of rural-urban areas since World
Health Organization (WHO, 1993) estimated that the
period between 2013 to 2020, the total world
population will increase from 5.2 thousand million to
about 7.8 thousand million. Similarly, there is need to
increase and encourage private participation in the
provision of road transportation system.
Finally, the study stated that Government should
provide enabling educational environment that would
guaranty efficient and adequate training and
movement of people, goods and services.
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