Transportation System in Nigeria: Past & Present

Nigeria is undoubtedly a highly populated country. There are about 170 million people in Nigeria. Nigerian population is also highly diverse and this gives the country the advantage of a highly diversified economy.

The oil boom of 1973 is one of the factors that pushed the economy of the country to the roof. This also affected transport system in Nigeria a great deal.  There was an increase in infrastructural demand and this was responsible for transportation improvement.

In the ancient days, means of transportation in Nigeria was by foot. People travel to virtually anywhere using their pair of foot. Only the rich and affluent among Nigerians could afford to buy horses for transportation.

Then when the western world began to take possession of Nigeria, means of transportation started changing a little and people started traveling via bicycles. As technology began to make its way into transportation, the development of bike shares with a wide range of bicycles came about. You could rent out road bikes, mountain bikes, and even fat tire ebikes as a way to commute going to work everyday. You can also check guide for riding Motorbike Sport in difficult terrain.  Also, only the rich and affluent could afford this, just like what obtains with cars today.

Train

After the bicycles came the railways. The railways link various parts of the country together, from Lagos to Kano and from Kano to Enugu.  This formed the major form of transport in Nigeria in those days. Today, the railway is still functional and it has been improved more than what obtains in times past. Today, the railway covers up to 3,984 kilometers of tracks and it is operated by the Nigerian Railway Corporation. There is the western rail line and the eastern rail line. The western rail line connects both Lagos and Nguru together. The eastern rail line, on the other hand, connects Maiduguri to Port Harcourt. The

Today, the railway is still functional and it has been improved more than what obtains in times past. Today, the railway covers up to 3,984 kilometers of tracks and it is operated by the Nigerian Railway Corporation. There is the western rail line and the eastern rail line. The western rail line connects both Lagos and Nguru together. The eastern rail line, on the other hand, connects Maiduguri to Port Harcourt. The

The western rail line connects both Lagos and Nguru together. The eastern rail line, on the other hand, connects Maiduguri to Port Harcourt. The Lagos-Kano Standard Gauge railway is yet another rail line in Nigeria.

Automobiles

Another form of transportation is automobiles. Very few people in Nigeria could afford automobiles when they first came and now a days most people use charter transportation.  As civilization took hold, many more cars could be found on Nigeria roads. As at 1990, Nigerian highways are as long as 108,000 km.

Nigerian road are managed by the Federal Road Maintenance Agency. Aside from the federal roads, there are also the state roads, which are managed by the state governments.

Number of cars on the road is increasing since Nigerians can buy second-hand cars if they cannot afford new ones. Many Nigerian roads do experience traffic jam today

Boats and ships

These had been part of Nigeria longer than some of the other means of transportation described above. Nigerians have been using boats, especially in those areas where water is much.  These boats started off in their most crude designs, but they have developed over the years. Now, there are so many motor boats in the Nigerian waterways.

Aside from motor boats, there are also so many ships in the Nigerian waterways.  Many of these ships are used for commercial purposes.  They are many in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria and some smaller ships and boats can be found along the Benue and Niger Rivers.

Airplanes

Airplanes are among the last forms of transportation used in Nigeria. Number airplanes found in Nigeria were few in times past, but there days, they are numerous and there are also many privately owned jets in Nigeria. Also, the number of airports has increased a great deal in Nigeria.

3 thoughts on “Transportation System in Nigeria: Past & Present”

  1. Pingback: Hassles of Doing Business in Nigeria – Business Insider

Leave a Comment

error: Content is Read-Only!!