Nigerian Society of Engineers Annual Conference Proceedings CANAAN 2011

AN OVERVIEW OF URBAN TRANSPORTATION IN NIGERIA AND SUSTENANCE OF ITS

STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT
A. I. Okolo FNSE, FNIMech.E
PAN Nigeria Ltd. Kaduna.

aokolo@peugeotnigeria.com;
ikeokolo@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT
In most part of the world, economic development
to a large extent depends on cities. Urban cities on
the other hand get life from the transport sector.
Urban economy and development is dependent and
influenced by transportation.
Owing to the inter dependency of various other
factors like industries, activities of growing
population and the socio-economic environment,
cautiously planned and incorporated transport
facilities are very necessary for urban areas.
The number of vehicles that ply the Nigerian roads
today is quite high, especially in large cities and
this goes along with associated negative impact on
the environment such as air pollution. Within the
last ten years, the total number of vehicles
registered annually increased substantially
implying an increase in the per capita ownership of
vehicles, which has resulted to great traffic
congestion on Nigerian roads.
Nigerias population growth, higher incomes,
creation of more states (which consequently has
resulted in rapid growth of cities and urbanization)
has led to increase in travel demands. Most
transport facilities have failed due to lack of proper
planning
and
design.
Furthermore,
the
consideration of pedestrians and non-motorized
vehicle users have been neglected or completely
none existent when planning urban transport
system in the country and this has created mixture
of traffic on our roads resulting to further
complications. This is worsened by lack of
adequate public transport facilities and packing
space.
The past few years have been a period of renewed
expectations and very high hopes, an era of
programmes that are supposed to place the
economy on a sound footing. The recently adopted
blue print of the vision 20:2020 of the Federal

Government of Nigeria is a laudable project and if

sustained will ensure astronomical growth in the
development of transportation infrastructure in the
country.
One of the three pillars on which the main frame of
the vision is constructed is: optimizing the key
sources of Economic Growth. This emphasizes
the need for a good transportation system in
Nigeria which will serve as a vehicle to drive the
economy.
This paper aims to examine the current status of
Nigerian urban transport system and ways to
sustain its development.
2.0 INTRODUCTION
Generally, urban cities in developing economies
such as Nigeria have several factors that hinder
sustainable transport sector.
Rural to urban area migration, high income and
rapid growth of cities has led to increase in
demand. Lack of proper planning and design of
urban transportation has been the bane of transport
facilities in our cities. The number of cars that ply
the Nigerian roads today is quite high and over the
period 2000 2010, the total number of vehicles
registered annually increased substantially
implying that per capita ownership of vehicles has
been on the upward trend, leading to greater traffic
congestion on Nigerian roads. This is worsened by
lack of public transport facilities and inadequate
packing spaces.
3.0 POPULATION OF NIGERIA
The population of Nigeria in 2003 was estimated to
be at 124,009,000, which placed it as number 10 in
population among the 193 nations of the world. In
2003 approximately 3% of the population was over
65 years of age, with another 44% of the
population under 15 years of age.

Nigerian Society of Engineers Annual Conference Proceedings CANAAN 2011

This implied that as at then that over 50 percent of

the population, having the means, could own a
vehicle and this perhaps explains the steady

increase of the number of vehicles on Nigerian

roads over the years.

Migration and Urbanization

Figure 1: World Urbanized Population 2006

Nigerian Society of Engineers Annual Conference Proceedings CANAAN 2011

Figure 2: Percentage of World Population Urban Rural

From Figure 1 & Figure 2 above, it is obvious that
there is a global shift of population from rural areas
to the urban cities and Nigeria is not left out.
There is a large volume of internal migration in the
country induced by scarcity of land, impoverished
soil, declining crop yields, poor harvests and soil
erosion, among others. The acquisition of some
level of education or skill is also an important
factor that prompts migration. Internal migration
takes different forms and patterns, but the most
significant is the movement from rural areas to
Table 1, Population Density of Nigeria
Country
Nigeria

2003

2004

2005

2006

urban centres. Rural-urban migration is responsible

for the depopulation of some rural areas and the
influx of people into towns and cities.
This consequently exerts pressure on the transport
systems of urban areas.
The following indicators clearly illustrate the
evolution of the population of Nigeria and other
related issues that have direct impact on the
challenges facing urban transportation:
Population density: Population density is the
number of people per unit of area.

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

144.93 148.58 139.4 142.74 146.17 158.32 161.54 164.78 168.02

GDP (purchasing power parity): This is the measure most economists prefer when looking at percapita welfare and when comparing living conditions or use of resources across countries.
Table 2, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Nigeria
Country 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Nigerian Society of Engineers Annual Conference Proceedings CANAAN 2011

Nigeria

110.5

117 105.9 113.5 114.8 125.7 175.5 191.4 296.1 335.4 341.1 377.9

GDP - per capita (PPP): This entry shows GDP on a purchasing power parity basis divided by
population as of 1 July for the same year.

Table 3, GDP Per Capita

Country 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Nigeria

970

950

840

875

900 1,000 1,400 1,500 2,100 2,300 2,300 2,500

4.0 URBAN TRANSPORTATION AND ROAD NETWORK

Urban transportation consists of 3 main elements viz:
People
Transport Network
The Means of Transportation
Urban transportation in Nigeria constitutes about 50% and challenges faced by urban transportation
in todays Nigeria hovers around road transportation, all others being in their rudimentary stage.

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Figure 3: Road Network in Nigeria

French and US physicists have shown that the road

networks in cities evolve driven by a simple
universal mechanism despite significant cultural
and historical differences. The resulting patterns
are much like the veins of a leaf.
Marc Barthlemy of the French Atomic Energy
Commission in Bruyres-le-Chtel and Alessandro
Flammini of Indiana University, US, analysed
street pattern data from roughly 300 cities,

including Brasilia, Cairo, Los Angeles, London,

New Delhi, and Venice.
They found that cities' road patterns have a lot in
common mathematically, as well as looking similar
to the eye.
Evolution has ensured that local efficiency also
drives the growth of transport networks in biology
- for example, in plant leaf veins and circulatory
systems.

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Figure 4: Comparison of city road network growth and biological transport networks

New models of city road network growth (top) create networks similar to those in reality (middle) and grow in
similar ways to biological transport networks (bottom)

5.0 SUSTAINING DEVELOPMENT OF URBAN TRANSPORTATION

Development of transportation infrastructures and facilities directly impacts on the economy, society (people)
and environment of urban areas.
Nigerian Society of Engineers Annual Conference Proceedings CANAAN 2011

Figure 5: Development & Sphere of influence

And this development ought to be sustained to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability
of future generations or governments as the case may be, to meet their need. In driving development of urban
transportation, the impact on the populace should be taken into account and concerted efforts made to minimize
adverseity.

Figure 6: Sustainable Development

It is very important that government and relevant

agencies identify the appropriate transportation
facilities/infrastructures that directly affect the
environment, economic and social life of urban

cities for special development action plans. It is

only with such a clear vision that sustainable
elements can be identified which will guarantee

Nigerian Society of Engineers Annual Conference Proceedings CANAAN 2011

that the overall strategic development remains on

course.
To sustain a strategic development of Nigerian
urban transportation, the following measures
should be put in place:
Improvement and Maintenance of Existing
Infrastructures and Facilities
Roads are designed and built for primary use by
vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Rain drainage and
environmental considerations are a major concern.
Erosion and sediment controls should be
constructed to prevent detrimental effects.
Drainage lines ought to be laid with sealed joints in
the road easement with runoff coefficients and
characteristics adequate for the land zoning and
storm water system.
Virtually all roads require some form of
maintenance before they come to the end of their
service life. Government agencies should be proactive continually monitor road conditions and
apply preventive maintenance treatments as needed
to prolong the lifespan of urban roads.
Deterioration of roads is primarily due to
accumulated damage from vehicles; however
environmental effects such as thermal cracking and
oxidation often contribute. According to a series of
experiments carried out in the late 1950s, called the
AASHO Road Test, it was empirically determined
that the effective damage done to the road is
roughly proportional to the Fourth power of axle
weight. A typical tractor-trailer weighing 36.287 T
with 3.629 T on the steer axle and 16.329 T on
both of the tandem axle groups is expected to do
7,800 times more damage than a passenger vehicle
with 0.907 T on each axle.
In this light, it may just be necessary to restrict
some category of vehicles from plying intra-urban
roads as a means of controlling damage and
preventing road failures.
Improvement of the Public Transport System
Most people prefer cars because of the degree of
freedom, accessibility, passion for car and driving,
comfort or at times, negative perception on public
transport.
The public transport system in Nigerian urban
cities is poor and hence, the private transport
flourished that an astronomical increase was
observed in private transport usage between the
years 2000-2010. The concerns of pedestrians,
bicycle/motorcycle users and bus users are less
considered in Nigeria. The available public

transport system including motorcycles, threewheelers, buses and cabs are provided mainly by
private businesses. The public transportation
facility may not be termed archaic, but lacks
service quality.
All tiers of government should be pragmatic in
addressing problems of public transportation in
urban cities, the likes of Abuja, Lagos, Ibadan,
Onitsha, Port Harcourt, etc. Government agencies
have to be major stakeholders, for the public
transport system to be effective (at least in a
developing economy like Nigeria).
Traffic Congestion Control
Generally, non-motorized transport means to walk
or use bicycles. Just like the car numbers,
motorcycles increased in Nigeria and by now
should be ranked first place in Africa, to have
extremely large number of motorcycles in the
cities. The large number of both non-motorized
and motorized transport in our urban cities has
resulted to daily gruesome experience by people in
terrible traffic congestions.
Parking Space:
A secondary cause of traffic congestions in
Nigerian urban cities is inadequate vehicle parking
space off the roads. Parking is really a headache to
motorists. Parking Management and Policies are
very much important to avoid traffic congestion,
traffic accidents and pollution. In such cities like
Abuja and Lagos where there are officially
allocated parking spaces, customers are still faced
with problems. Some of the problems that parking
customers face is the lack of knowledge of parking
space location, operating hours and cost of parking
and most prominently, the availability of parking
upon their arrival. The parking of a car correlates
to a lot of other factors like user behavior, space
utilization, design of parking zone, safety and
security etc.
Influx from Trunk A Highways into Urban
Road Network:
Large influx of cars into urban cities through
Federal highways passing through city-centre
further aggravates problems of traffic congestion.
Trunk A roads should be re-aligned to bye-pass
urban cities. This has been successfully executed in
such a place like Benin City, the capital of Edo
State.
Applying Economic Theory to solve Traffic
Congestion Problem:

Nigerian Society of Engineers Annual Conference Proceedings CANAAN 2011

Congestion pricing is a concept from market

economics regarding the use of pricing
mechanisms to charge the users of public goods for
the negative externalities generated by the peak
demand in excess of available supply. Its economic
rationale is that, at a price of zero, demand exceeds
supply, causing a shortage, and that the shortage
should be corrected by charging the equilibrium
price rather than shifting it down by increasing the
supply. Usually this means increasing prices during
certain periods of time or at the places where
congestion occurs; or introducing a new usage tax
or charge when peak demand exceeds available
supply in the case of a tax-funded public good
provided free at the point of usage.
According to the economic theory behind
congestion pricing, the objective of this policy is
the use of the price mechanism to make users more
aware of the costs that they impose upon one
another when consuming during the peak demand,
and that they should pay for the additional in space
or in time, or shifting it to the consumption of

substitute public good; for example, switching

from private transport to public transport.
The pricing mechanism has been used in several
public utilities and public services for setting
higher prices during congested periods, as a means
to better manage the demand for the service, and
whether to avoid expensive new investments just to
satisfy peak demand, or because is not
economically or financially feasible to provide
additional capacity to the service.
Congestion pricing is one of a number of
alternative demand side (as opposed to supply side)
strategies offered by economists to address traffic
congestion. Congestion is considered a negative
externality by economists. An externality occurs
when a transaction causes costs or benefits to a
third party, often, although not necessarily, from
the use of a public good. Congestion pricing is an
efficiency pricing strategy that requires the users to
pay more for that public good, thus increasing the
welfare gain or net benefit for society.

Nigerian Society of Engineers Annual Conference Proceedings CANAAN 2011

10

Figure 7: Economic Rationale For Moving From

Untolled Equilibrium to Congestion Pricing
Equilibrium
In Lagos, the alternate route to Murtala
Mohammed International Airport is a good
example.
Incorporation of Safety Considerations into our
Urban Road Designs
In the strategic plan for development of the
transport system in Nigeria, deliberate effort
should be made to incorporate safety
considerations in the master plan for road
development.
Careful design and construction of urban roads can
increase Road traffic safety and reduce the harm
(deaths, injuries and property damage) on the road
network from traffic collisions.
On urban roads traffic calming, safety barriers,
pedestrian crossings and cycle lanes can all protect
pedestrians and cyclists.
Lane markers can be marked with Cats eyes or
Botts dots, bright reflectors that do not fade like
paint.
CONCLUSION
The strategic development of urban transportation
in Nigeria will only be sustained if appropriate
infrastructural development plans are in place with
necessary legal framework.
To save the road network in Nigeria from total
collapse requires good and efficient management,
and this has to be done in a pragmatic and
organized framework.

For Federal highway, the Federal Road

Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to a large extent
has been doing a good job. This approach could
equally be applied on our urban road network.
The World Banks Institutional and Financial
Reforms prescribe establishment of Road fund for
road maintenance, and private sector participation
through concessions. These reforms deal mainly
with funding of road maintenance. And a proper
road maintenance management system is necessary
for effective execution of this. FERMA as
presently constituted, cannot fit into this because it
has been operating without private sector input and
no proper legal backing.
Therefore one important pre-condition to assure
sustainability of the urban transportation system
development in Nigeria, is the establishment of a
road fund with clear legal backing and non-reliance
to government budgetary allocations.
REFERENCES
Dume, B., City Road Networks Grow Like
Biological Systems, New Scientist, 23 April 2008.
Okolo, A. I., Vehicular Emission Control A
Means to Enhance the Environment, a paper
presented at the Nigerian Society of Engineers
International Conference & AGM Dec. 2010,
Abuja Nigeria.
Oguara, T. M.,A Mnagement Model for Road
Infrastructure Maintenance, Book of Proceedings
PP 52 68, 19TH Engineering Assembly of
COREN, August 2010.

Nigerian Society of Engineers Annual Conference Proceedings CANAAN 2011