Govt Urged To Focus On Rail, Road Transportation

The Federal Government has been advised to concentrate on rail and road modes of transportation in 2012 to boost construction activities.

Head of the Civil Engineering Department at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Prof. Olubayo Olateju, gave the advice in Lagos on Wednesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Olateju told NAN that development in the transportation sector was vital as every ambition of government revolved around the sector.

“The government’s ambition, such as provision of housing, public services, tourism, job creation and poverty eradication depends on good rail and road networks.

“Nigeria has the potential to be one of the biggest construction markets in the world, if the rail and road networks are improved.

“The construction industry in Nigeria is vast and can positively affect the lives of Nigerians if more construction jobs are done by indigenous professionals,” he said.

Olateju said while the world was still emerging from the global financial crisis, the construction industry in Nigeria was growing faster than expected.

Olateju said that to aid this growth, foreign investment was desperately needed to build roads, ports, bridges and airports.

“The country’s archaic railway network, barely altered since colonial days, is also in great need of an upgrade,” he said.

Olateju said that road transportation was generally a problem and that only the Federal Capital Territory and to a lesser extent, the coastal metropolis of Lagos, had good networks.

“Nationwide, road is the most common cause of death.

“In June 2010, the World Bank reported that it will invest $300 million (more than N48 billion) for the overall development of Nigerian roads.

“However, far greater investment is needed to bring the country up to reasonable standard,” he said.

Olateju expressed optimism that Nigeria, which has been to a certain degree protected from the global economic crisis by rising oil prices, would attract foreign investors.