FG Unveils Nigeria First National Land Transport Policy

The Federal Government has unveiled Nigeria's first National Land Transport Policy, marking a significant step towards creating an integrated, efficient, safe, affordable, and sustainable transportation system to support economic growth and national development. At the unveiling in Abuja, Vice-President Kashim Shettima emphasized the central role of transportation in the nation's economy, connecting workers, families, businesses, markets, and communities.

Shettima highlighted that the government's strategy, aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda, aimed to shift from isolated transportation projects to an integrated national network encompassing roads, railways, ports, inland waterways, and aviation. This integrated approach seeks to ensure that transport infrastructure connects production centers with markets and consumers, improving the movement of people and goods across the country.

The Vice-President, represented by Aliyu Modibbo Umar, also emphasized the government's railway modernization program, citing major rail corridors as a critical component of the transportation strategy. Projects like the Kano-Maradi Railway, linking Kano through Jigawa, Katsina, and Maradi in Niger Republic, were highlighted for their role in enhancing domestic connectivity, cross-border trade, and regional integration.

Shettima stressed the importance of linking ports to rail and road networks to optimize cargo evacuation and alleviate highway congestion. The policy also addresses urban transportation challenges, with high-grade projects approved to tackle congestion in Nigerian cities. The unveiling, described by a former Minister of Transportation as historic, marks the first comprehensive policy of its kind since Nigeria's independence.

The policy aligns with the administration's eight-point priority agenda and provides a framework for a fast, safe, efficient, affordable, convenient, integrated, and intermodal transport system.