Last updated on January 24th, 2023 at 08:32 pm
Transportation is one of the the keys to microeconomic and agribusiness development of a country. A country that fails to develop its transportation network may either force local production out of the market or lead to high cost of goods and services.
A dedicated ministry that takes care of the development of this infrastructure is the Federal Ministry of Transportation.
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The ministry is responsible for coordinating and management of the transport system across Nigeria.
At the time of this report, the transportation minister is Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers State, and he’s assisted by Gbemisola Saraki, a former member of the National Assembly.
Many times, the now independent Ministry of Aviation was put under Transportation even during the first term of Muhammadu Buhari, but he separated it while constituting his second-term cabinet.
5 Key Responsibilities of Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Transportation
- To provide direction for transportation policy and control.
- To supervise and monitor and ensure that transportation policies are implemented.
- To formulate relevant transportation laws for the general of Nigerians.
- To carry out the auditing of management of all the eight parastatal under its management.
- To liaise with the ministry of aviation and other ministries because it can achieve success in isolation.
Agencies:
With 12 departments in the ministry of transportation, assisted by four units, the ministry has eight agencies that help it to achieve commendable results in its mandates.
| Transportation Parastatal | Year of establishment |
| Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology | 1986 |
| National Inland Waterways Authority | 1997 |
| Nigerian Railway Corporation | 1955 |
| Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency | August 1, 2007 |
| Nigerian Shippers’ Council | 1978 |
| Maritime Academy of Nigeria | 1979 |
| Council for Regulation of Freight Forwarding of Nigeria | 2007 |
| Nigerian Ports Authority | 1954 |
Functions of the agencies of Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Transportation
Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology
To conduct research on transport management and development geared towards building transport system in Nigeria
National Inland Waterways Authority
To improve and develop Nigeria’s inland waterways for easy navigation for the economic development of Nigeria
Nigerian Railway Corporation
To carry out the carriage of passengers and freight in a cost-effective manner
Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency
To regulate shipping, maritime labor, and coastal waters and inspect waterways facilities to be sure they are up to standard. They also provide rescue missions on the waterways
Nigerian Shippers’ Council
To protect exporters and importers in Nigeria as well as its goods.
Maritime Academy of Nigeria
Also known as the Nautical College of Nigeria, it is to educate and train shipboard officers, ratings and shore-based management personnel in Nigeria
Council for Regulation of Freight Forwarding of Nigeria
To determine the standards of skill and knowledge to be attained by persons seeking to be registered Freight Forwarder in Nigeria
Nigerian Ports Authority
To operate and effectively manage ports in Nigeria
Departments in Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Transportation
- Human Resources Management
- Procurement
- Special Duties
- General Services
- Maritime Services
- Engineering Services
- Finance and Accounts
- Rail Transport Services
- Maritime Safety & Security
- Transport Planning & Coordination
- Reform Coordination & Service Improvement
- Road Transport & Mass Transit Administration
It also has internal audit, legal services, survey, and Public-Private Partnership units
Contact details:
Federal Ministry of Transportation, Bukar Dipcharima House, Central Business District, FCT, Abuja, Nigeria.
- Instagram.com: @transportchroniclesng
- Official website: transportation.gov.ng
Assessment:
We must commend the government through the ministry of transportation for embarking on bringing the rail transport system back to life.
In terms of protecting its rail lines, the government and the ministry have failed woefully.
Severally, its coaches were attacked by Boko Haram terrorist remnants (mildly called bandits) in Kaduna state. The latest was the bombing of his track, but the ministry continues to either disregard such attacks or lie about it.
Another problem with the ministry is its plans to construct a standard gauge for the Kano-Maradi rail line while an old narrow gauge was planned for other parts of Nigeria.
At the moment the cost of transporting goods with Nigeria is 5.3 times higher than in the United States of America, according to the 2021 World Bank Global Facility to Decarbonise Transport report.
Again, the Nigerians Railway Corporation (NRC) which was founded to carry out the carriage of passengers and freight in a cost-effective manner, is now costlier to use than road transport.
In terms of security, it isn’t safe, in terms of standard, it’s poor because we’ve seen one of the acclaimed new coaches break down in the middle of a thick forest, thereby exposing passengers to attacks. NRC needs to step up its game.
We want to see the Transportation Ministry build its local infrastructure than develop the “economy” of the Niger republic that could not compete favourably with the economy of the Southeast geopolitical zone.
Photo Credit:
- Photo By Chuttersnap On Unsplash
