Integrating Nigeria’s Fragmented Transport System
Chinedu Eze
Experts have advocated for the integration of Nigeria’s transport system, including road, rail, aviation and maritime, in order to develop policies that will synergize the movement of goods and services across the nation.
The experts who converged last week in Lagos at the second Nigeria Transport Summit with the theme: ‘Navigating Global Disruptions and the Road Ahead: Mobility, Energy and Trade Facilitation for a Resilient Future’, also called for the adoption of multifaceted security apparatus to protect the multi–modal transportation system.
Looking at the critical role the maritime sector plays in the transportation of goods, the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA) advocated for the use of evidence-based regulation and stakeholder engagement to eliminate avoidable logistics costs, lower the cost of trade, and streamline cargo clearance operations across Nigeria’s ports.
In his presentation at the summit, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NPERA, Akutah Pius Ukeyima, stated that trade bottlenecks, unpredictable port charges, and fragmented infrastructure continued to harm the country’s commercial competitiveness.
“Through effective stakeholder engagement, appropriate regulatory measures and evidence-based decision-making, NPERA is committed to supporting a port system that reduces avoidable costs, improves operational efficiency, encourages fair competition and strengthens Nigeria’s position as a competitive maritime and trade destination,” Akutah said.
Highlighting the economic impact of logistics challenges, Akutah noted that seamless trade facilitation is indispensable to national growth.
“Delays in cargo clearance, excessive or unpredictable charges, inadequate infrastructure and weak coordination among stakeholders can increase logistics costs and undermine the competitiveness of Nigerian businesses,” he warned.
To address these hurdles, the NPERA chief emphasised that economic regulation must protect the commercial interests of all operators—including importers, exporters, shipping companies, and freight forwarders—while fostering predictable investment conditions.
“Effective economic regulation is essential to ensuring that charges are reasonable, service delivery is efficient, stakeholders are treated fairly and the interests of port users are adequately protected within the applicable regulatory framework,” he explained.
Addressing the systemic challenges beyond maritime gates, Akutah urged federal authorities and private operators to accelerate integration across roads, rail lines, and inland waterways.
“The development of an efficient transport system cannot be achieved through ports and roads alone. It requires effective integration of road, rail, inland waterways and other transport modes to facilitate the seamless movement of cargo from the ports to inland markets and production centres,” Akutah noted.
He added that dry ports and supporting transit infrastructures play a strategic role in expanding access for hinterland businesses, provided connection bottlenecks are resolved.
“We must therefore continue to address bottlenecks affecting rail freight services, road transport costs, cargo documentation, shipping arrangements and the effective utilization of inland transport infrastructure,” he urged.
Looking at insecurity in his presentation at the summit, the Executive Director of Operations and Technical at Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, Warredi Enisuoh, called for the integration of security awareness in school curriculum to prepare young Nigerians to protect their society in the face of insecurity ravaging the country.
Enisuoh who is a seasoned airline captain, ship master, and maritime security expert emphasised that criminal elements systematically exploit public unawareness and outdated infrastructure.
Enisuoh warned that the nation can no longer afford a reactive approach to security threats, noting that widespread indifference exposes citizens to preventable dangers.
“When it comes to security, the problem is people have to be aware. It is awareness or unawareness that your assailants take advantage of. If people know that you are aware, it helps douse down the insecurity because those who carry out threats always take advantage of the fact that you are not aware. So awareness is key,” Enisuoh stated.
He stressed that the reality of kidnapping and security risks must be directly countered through early childhood and adolescent education.
“The amount of insecurity that has somehow inflicted this country is not reflected in the day-to-day education of our children in school. We should start teaching insecurity in school now,” Enisuoh asserted.
He further said: “Because those who will be kidnapped tomorrow are free today. Everybody seems to feel it’s not their business or ‘not my portion,’ but the person who was taken yesterday felt the same way. We have to increase our educational syllabus to handle insecurity lectures because this is something that has come to stay.”
Critiquing Nigeria’s current transport and logistics infrastructure, Enisuoh noted that the nation’s sea ports and highways were never structurally designed to withstand or mitigate modern security risks.
Comparing sector performances, he pointed out that Nigeria’s aviation industry has performed remarkably well due to stringent international auditing, perimeter fencing, and strict access controls, adding that the maritime domain has much to learn from airport security frameworks.
The convener of the summit, Mrs. Pearl Ngwama, in her opening speech observed that mounting geopolitical instability, volatile global oil markets, and crippling maritime trade disruptions, were posing immediate threats to Nigeria’s economic survival unless the nation moves aggressively to integrate its fragmented transportation networks.
Ngwama in her speech emphasised that external global shocks are directly exacerbating the logistical challenges of domestic transport costs, squeezing businesses, and fueling consumer inflation across Nigeria.
Highlighting the immediate ripple effects of international crises on Nigerian households, Ngwama pointed to recent data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), showed crude oil prices spiking to $131 per barrel in mid-September 2026 following attacks on international energy infrastructure.
“For the transport industry, the consequences are immediate. Airlines face mounting aviation fuel bills; shipping companies contend with higher vessel operating and insurance costs; road haulage operators experience increased fuel expenses; and businesses must absorb rising logistics costs. Ultimately, these pressures translate into higher passenger fares, more expensive goods, and reduced competitiveness,” Ngwama said.
She further cited UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and Reuters reports showing that shipping throughput via the Red Sea remains 70 percent below 2023 levels, while the cost of chartering supertankers on key international routes surged to $81 million compared to $9.1 million a year prior.
“Nigeria cannot control global oil prices or determine the outcome of international conflicts. However, we can strengthen our domestic transport infrastructure, improve operational efficiency, and develop policies that reduce the extent to which external shocks undermine our economy,” she said.
Ngwama cautioned that while global disruptions originate abroad, they primarily expose deep-seated structural flaws within Nigeria’s internal logistics architecture. She called for an immediate end to uncoordinated, isolated policy-making across aviation, maritime, rail, road, and inland waterways.
According to her, “Nigeria possesses considerable advantages, yet these advantages will remain underutilized unless our transport modes function as parts of an integrated system. A seaport cannot achieve its full economic potential when cargo evacuation is inefficient. A railway cannot deliver maximum value without effective connections to ports, industrial centers, and road networks.”
She stressed that achieving multimodal integration is crucial if Nigerian businesses hope to capitalize on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), warning that access to a 1.3-billion-person continental market will yield little if local producers cannot move goods competitively.
Beyond infrastructure, the summit convener identified energy reliability, digital cargo tracking, and regulatory predictability as non-negotiable pillars for building sector resilience.