Coordination As An Encumbrance to Effective Transport Management in Nigeria

In Nigeria, the Federal, State, and Local Governments, are responsible for transport planning, development, and management. The Institutional framework for transport development is rendered through numerous agencies at all levels of government, with the various tiers of government having responsibility for a combination of either rail, air, maritime, inter or intra-state waterways, highways, and pipelines. The preponderance of agencies created duplicity of functions and waste in the sector consequently making coordination difficult. This study attempted to examine the impact of lack of coordination by the various modes in the transport system. Secondary data and government records were used in the qualitative approach to ascertain the challenges in the transport sector. The study revealed that despite the enormous resources injected into the transport sector in Nigeria, lack of coordination had thwarted its growth, allowing unhealthy competition by agencies responsible for the overall management of transportation. Consequently, the laxity has left the nation’s transportation in shambles, with the road networks in a deplorable state; and a comatose railway system, among others.