Fragmented Policies Weakening Nigeria’s Transport System, Says UNILAG Don

Funmi Ogundare

A Professor of Geography, University of Lagos, Samuel Iyiola Oni, has expressed concern about the fragmented planning frameworks and inconsistent government policies that are weakening Nigeria’s transportation system, worsening congestion, and regional imbalance.

He said the absence of coherent national transport planning has led to duplication of projects, conflicting investments and poor utilisation of scarce resources, undermining the sector’s contribution to economic growth and spatial development.

Oni, who was guest lecturer at the fifth Dr Abubakar Mobolaji Olaseni Annual Lecture Series, held recently at the Yusuf Grillo Auditorium, Yaba College of Technology, explained that transportation planning in Nigeria is often carried out within overlapping institutional mandates, while frequent shifts in political priorities and the abandonment of long-term transport master plans have weakened policy continuity and eroded investor confidence.

According to him, “rail, road and inland water transport projects are commonly pursued as isolated initiatives rather than as parts of an integrated national mobility strategy, limiting their overall impact.”

He added that weak enforcement mechanisms, fragmented policy coordination and chronically underfunded planning agencies continue to constrain effective transport development across the country.

“The transportation nexus is not merely a technical challenge, but a spatial one,” he said, stressing that the disconnect between transport investment and regional planning has significantly contributed to urban congestion, regional disparities and systemic inefficiency.

He advocated the adoption of stable and coherent transport policies, stronger institutional coordination, multimodal transport development and the use of modern planning tools as critical steps toward reforming Nigeria’s transport sector.

In his remarks, YABATECH Rector, Dr. Ibraheem Abdul, described the lecture series as an important platform for advancing policy-relevant scholarship, while commending Olaseni for his enduring contributions to academic quality, institutional leadership and national development.

He recalled Olaseni’s tenure as Deputy Rector (Academics), describing it as a period marked by strengthened academic standards, institutional stability and improved internal quality assurance processes.

He said that Olaseni played a key role in ensuring that academic programmes remained credible, relevant and aligned with national development needs.

The rector also underscored the relevance of the lecture theme, ‘Transportation Nexus in Urban and Regional Planning in Nigeria’, describing transportation as central to sustainable urban growth, economic development and social inclusion amid rapid urbanisation.

Delivering the chairman’s address on behalf of a former rector of the college, Dr. Margaret Ibiyeye-Ladipo, Dr. Moruf Adebakin said the occasion provided an opportunity to reflect on leadership continuity, institutional memory and shared values in strengthening higher education.

He noted that Olaseni’s career reflected how sustained policy focus and principled administration could enhance academic quality, staff development and institutional stability, adding that his years of service were marked by deliberate efforts to strengthen governance structures and promote evidence-based decision-making.

Ibiyeye-Ladipo, in her remarks, recalled her close working relationship with Olaseni, saying that the period witnessed improvements in infrastructure, academic delivery and staff-student relations, driven by trust-building, openness and inclusive governance.

She added that Olaseni’s strong advocacy for internal quality assurance and academic standards helped strengthen accreditation processes, align curricula with NBTE requirements and position YABATECH as a competitive institution within Nigeria’s higher education system.