PAPER TITLE :MANAGING TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE IN NIGERIAN CITIES

FUTA JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY | VOLUME 1 NUMBER 1 2016

Paper Details

  • Author(s) : Ogwude, Innocent C.
  • Abstract:

This paper evaluates the management of urban transportation infrastructure in Nigeria. It does so by defining transport infrastructure to include both the locative and distributional role of transport. The argument is general because transportation is similar in most cities, except in Lagos and Abuja with greater coordination and control. Nigeria’s urban transportation is driven by the private sector, and should be regulated, but it is not. There is confusion in its management partly because the sector is in the jurisdiction of state and local government thereby constraining full federal intervention, as all tiers of government perform different functions in the sector. Excessive traffic demand is choking most cities even when car ownership is moderate due to poor city structure and narrow roads. Further increased traffic demand is expected in over 23 cities by the year 2030. Reforms are therefore needed to introduce economic regulation, corporatize public transportation, and adopt transport demand management measures in most cities. The creation of the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) is highlighted as a model which other cities could adapt as an institutional framework for economic regulation and the management of transport demand.