The Federal Government has unveiled the first National Land Transport Policy aimed at building an integrated, efficient, safe, affordable and sustainable transportation system to support economic growth and national development in the country.

Vice President Kashim Shettima unveiled the policy yesterday at the 19th National Council on Transportation, held at the National Judicial Institute, Abuja with the theme “Developing an Effective Transport System for Nigeria: The Role of Integrated Transportation.”

Shetima who was represented by his Special Adviser on General Duties Aliyu Modibbo Umar said government’s approach was shifting from the development of isolated transportation projects to the creation of an integrated national network in which roads, railways, ports, inland waterways and aviation complement one another.

He said the objective was to ensure that transport infrastructure connect production centres with markets, ports and consumers, while improving the movement of people and goods across the country.

The Vice President highlighted the country’s railway modernisation programme, describing it as a critical component of the country’s transportation strategy.

He said the administration was pursuing the development of major rail corridors to improve connectivity across the eastern, central and northern parts of the country, while also strengthening links between ports, railways, roads and logistics hubs.

He cited the Kano-Maradi Railway Project, which links Kano through Jigawa and Katsina to Maradi in the Republic of Niger, saying the project would support domestic connectivity, cross-border trade and regional integration.

He also stressed the importance of linking ports to rail and road networks to facilitate efficient cargo evacuation and reduce pressure on highways, saying administration was determined to provide infrastructure capable of supporting a productive, competitive and interconnected economy.

“Rail must connect to roads. Rail to production centres and markets, while roads provide first- and last-mile access,” he said, stressing that no single mode of transportation could adequately meet the country’s needs in isolation.

Shettima further stressed the need for integrated urban transportation, particularly as Nigerian cities grapple with congestion and inefficient movement.

He said the federal government had approved high-grade urban transportation projects and urged the Minister of Transportation to work with participating states to establish clear technical, institutional, regulatory and implementation arrangements without unnecessary delays.

He said the success of the projects would provide a model that could be replicated in other Nigerian cities.

In his goodwill remarks, immediate past minister of transportation, Senator Said Ahmed Alkali noted that the absence of a comprehensive land transport policy had made it difficult for the Federal Ministry of Transportation to effectively regulate the sector, particularly in the face of emerging and increasingly complex transportation challenges.

According to him, the policy aligns with the administration’s eight-point priority agenda and provides a framework for developing a fast, safe, efficient, affordable, convenient, integrated and intermodal transport system.

In his address, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Engr. Olufunso Adebiyi said the theme of the council was relevant to the federal government’s efforts to build a transportation system capable of supporting economic growth, national connectivity and improved quality of life.

Adebiyi said integration meant ensuring that Nigeria’s different modes of transportation did not develop independently but functioned as components of a single national system.

“Our roads, railways, ports, inland waterways and urban transport systems must connect people and goods efficiently across the country, and increasingly, across our borders,” he said.

He identified the operational Lagos-Ibadan and Abuja-Kaduna railway corridors as part of the progress recorded towards that objective, while noting that work was progressing on the Kaduna-Kano segment of the Lagos-Kano Railway Modernisation Project.