Expert Calls For Sustainable Transport Sector

A former Commissioner for Transport in Lagos State, Professor Bamidele Badejo has stated that for the transport sector in the country to succeed, the rail system need to be reorganised, saying that the rail system is not designed for passengers.
Badejo made this known at the Maritime Man of the year 2012 award put together by Maritime Media Limited in Lagos last Saturday.

A former Commissioner for Transport in Lagos State, Professor Bamidele Badejo has stated that for the transport sector in the country to succeed, the rail system need to be reorganised, saying that the rail system is not designed for passengers.
Badejo made this known at the Maritime Man of the year 2012 award put together by Maritime Media Limited in Lagos last Saturday.
The Professor, who is of the department of Geography, Olabisi Onabanjo University said that about 99% of the Nigeria’s transportation system is by road adding that all other modes of transport in country constitute the remaining 1%.
According to him, the rail system was the first constructed among all modes of transport in the country but it has not been fully utilised.
In his lecture on an “Effective intermodal system of transport as a panacea to African economic integration", Professor Badejo said that the government should look for policy that can enhance the transport sector.
Badejo added that for the sector to move forward, government must put in place policy of continuity and sustainability.
He urged the minister of transport, Senator Idris Umar to integrate the transport system in the country and also called for maximum private sector participation.
He noted that 42% of jobs created in the country are through the transport sector, thus the government needs to invest more in the sector.
The former commissioner also disclosed that 10% of the roads in the country are being rehabilitated which he described as unsatisfactory for a nation's economy to grow.
Badejo described transport system as the engine room of any country’s economy growth, arguing that therefore, the government of every nation needs to investment massively for sustainable development.
He however noted that the transport sector of Nigeria is predominantly informal.