Fix Transport Gaps to Unlock Economic Potential — Obayendo.

 Dr Segun Obayendo, Technical Adviser to the Vice President on Transportation, Logistics and Innovation, says Nigeria must address structural gaps in its transport sector to unlock the country's full economic potential.

Obayendo made the statement while delivering the keynote address at the 2026 Transport Industry Summit, organised by the Transport Correspondents Association of Nigeria (TCAN) on Thursday in Lagos.

He identified delays, fragmented transport modes, multiple checkpoints, insecurity, poor coordination and informality as key weaknesses significantly driving up the cost of doing business in Nigeria.

He said Nigeria could learn from countries such as Singapore, Germany and China, where integrated transportation systems, technology and infrastructure underpin broader economic development and efficient movement of goods and people.

"Nigeria needs to move beyond constructing individual transport projects towards creating a multimodal system where roads, railways, waterways and ports complement one another. When you have one ticket, you should be able to book your journey across the different modes. That is what multimodality is talking about," he said.

Citing Hamburg, Germany, as an example, Obayendo noted that digital systems there integrate road, rail and maritime operations, adding that Nigeria needed similar technology capable of tracking cargo and monitoring the movement of goods. He also pointed to China's development trajectory, arguing that strong transportation infrastructure and connectivity had underpinned the country's capacity to produce and distribute goods both domestically and internationally.

He said inefficiencies in transportation ultimately get passed on to consumers and businesses through higher freight charges, delays, informal payments and increased prices for both imported and locally produced goods.

The presidential adviser called for stronger integration of road, rail and waterway transport, noting that combining different modes could significantly cut travel time and improve the efficiency of cargo movement. He said Nigeria's National Land Transport Policy offers an important framework for coordinating transport development, ensuring continuity and reducing fragmentation across institutions and successive administrations.

Obayendo also advocated greater professionalism in road transport, formalisation of operators, improved terminals, expanded Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) infrastructure, and stronger collaboration among government agencies to tackle insecurity, road crashes and infrastructure vandalism.

Also speaking, Mr Mohammed Bala, National Secretary-General of the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), said weaknesses in Nigeria's transportation sector required urgent intervention. He identified indiscriminate truck parking, inadequate marshalling yards, illegal checkpoints, extortion and insufficient logistics infrastructure as major challenges facing the sector, alongside weigh-bridge issues and high operating costs, and stressed the need for stronger digitalisation and improved port and road infrastructure.

"There is need for CNG palliatives for heavy-duty trucks and coordinated action to create an efficient logistics system," Bala said.

Similarly, Mr Raymond Gold, National Public Relations Officer of the Waterfront Boat Owners and Transporters Association of Nigeria (WABOTAN), said achieving economic growth through logistics would require cooperation among all transport modes, arguing that road, rail, waterway and air transport should be treated as partners rather than separate, parallel systems. He noted that water transport remained largely untapped in Nigeria and urged the government to dredge the country's waterways to ensure safe, navigable channels nationwide.