Nigeria’s newly unveiled National Land Transport Policy (NLTP) is seeking to transform the country’s fragmented and road-dependent transport system through greater integration of road, rail, waterways, ports, airports and pipelines.

The policy, formally unveiled at the 19th National Council on Transportation (NCT), represents the culmination of more than six decades of attempts to establish a comprehensive framework for the country’s transport sector.

A presentation by Prof. Samuel Odewumi titled “Land Transportation Policy: Synopsis” noted that Nigeria’s transport policy journey began with a 1961 Stanford Research Institute study and the 1965 Statement of Policy on Transport, followed by several drafts and revisions that failed to progress to full implementation.

The presentation said the decisive shift came with the development of a dedicated land transport framework, culminating in Federal Executive Council approval in 2025 and its formal unveiling at the 19th NCT in September 2026.

According to the document, the NLTP contains five parts, 14 policy domains and 95 pages, with an implementation framework designed to move the sector beyond fragmented interventions.

Odewumi said land transport carries about 90 per cent of Nigeria’s transport needs, while governance responsibilities remain heavily divided among different levels of government, making coordination central to the success of the policy.

Five-point transformation

The policy’s operating framework is built around five priorities: organise, integrate, professionalise, invest and include.

It seeks to replace fragmented rules and unrestricted market entry with clear standards and licensed participation; connect different transport modes around end-to-end journeys; build professional institutions and certified operators; attract long-term private capital; and ensure affordability, universal access, safety and environmental responsibility.

The 14 policy domains cover rail transport, road administration, interstate passenger transport, pipelines, freight transportation, safety and security, urban and rural transportation, non-motorised transport, inclusive transportation, planning and data, capacity building, environment and climate, human resources and professionalism, and funding and investment.

On rail, the policy proposes restructuring the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) into separate entities for rail regulation, railway operations and railway property, while also calling for the completion and rehabilitation of the Western, Eastern and Central rail corridors.

It further proposes concessioning operations and using public-private partnership models to attract sustainable investment into the sector.

For road transport, the policy proposes clearer licensing and operating standards, harmonisation of motor vehicle administration, intelligent transport systems, CCTV, roadworthiness technology and a unified transport databank.

It also calls for the establishment of state transport ministries and local government transport departments, as well as national standards for interstate passenger operators.

The NLTP also seeks to reduce Nigeria’s heavy dependence on roads for freight movement, which it identifies as contributing to congestion, pavement damage, emissions, delays and higher logistics costs.

The policy proposes stronger axle-load enforcement, weighbridges, transit parks, fleet-renewal financing and cleaner-energy vehicles, while encouraging suitable bulk and liquid cargo to move by rail, waterways and restored pipelines.

It also proposes National Freight Offices and improved border infrastructure to support ECOWAS and AfCFTA trade.

Safety and security are treated as system-wide responsibilities, with emphasis on operator competence, vehicle roadworthiness, safer infrastructure, accident investigation, emergency response and coordinated security along transport corridors.

Cities, rural areas and vulnerable users

The policy places equal emphasis on urban and rural mobility.

For cities, it proposes metropolitan transport authorities, mass-transit standards, transit-oriented development, intermodal transport nodes, smart ticketing and traffic-management systems.

For rural communities, it prioritises all-season basic access, sustainable road maintenance, rural mobility strategies and improved connections to farms, markets, schools, health facilities and livelihoods.

It also recognises walking, cycling and accessibility as integral components of transport infrastructure, calling for continuous walkways, segregated cycle lanes, accessible vehicles, ramps, audible signals and barrier-free terminals.

The policy further proposes speed management, including 30km/h limits in appropriate urban areas, and stronger standards for school transport.

Funding and implementation

On financing, the NLTP seeks to attract private capital through transparent economic regulation, public-private partnerships, concessions, long-term fleet financing, guarantees, capital-market instruments and targeted incentives.

It proposes models including DB, DBFM, DBFMO, BOT, BOO and operations-and-maintenance arrangements for appropriate projects.

The implementation roadmap is divided into short-term, medium-term and long-term phases. The first two years will focus on publishing and sensitising stakeholders, establishing standards and baselines, launching pilot projects and putting legal and institutional foundations in place.

The three-to-five-year phase will scale infrastructure and fleet reforms, expand urban and rural systems and implement major PPP projects, while the five-to-10-year phase targets full multimodal integration, sustainable funding and mature data and professional systems.

Odewumi stressed that implementation, rather than policy formulation alone, would determine the success of the framework.

The presentation proposed that every early action should have an identified owner, measurable output, deadline and funded work plan, while the NCT should adopt a common implementation scorecard and national reporting calendar.

It also proposed mandatory monitoring and evaluation, with the policy subject to review every five years to ensure it remains responsive to changing transport conditions.

Odewumi concluded that Nigeria could not develop its transport system through “disjointed incrementalism,” arguing that the sector requires a clear, coordinated and integrated roadmap, knowledgeable implementation teams and a well-defined institutional structure.