LASU Don Urges Multimodal Transport Policy Reform

A Professor of Transport, Mobility and Development at Lagos State University, Charles Ojima Asenime, has called for the urgent adoption of a national multimodal transport policy to tackle insecurity, poor infrastructure and inefficiency in Nigeria’s transport sector.

Speaking during the university’s 122nd inaugural lecture titled “Who Is This Agbero? Catechising the Role of Informality and Non-State Actors in Nigeria’s Transport System and Development,” the professor said Nigeria’s transport system remained largely uncoordinated due to weak regulation and poor planning.

According to him, informal transport operators including commercial buses, tricycles, motorcycles and informal water transport services play a major role in mobility across the country, as nearly 80 per cent of Nigerians rely on them for daily transportation.

However, he warned that the sector’s dominance has also contributed to increasing road crashes, insecurity and unsafe transport practices.

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Citing data from the Federal Road Safety Corps, Asenime disclosed that over 15,500 people died in road crashes between 2021 and the second quarter of 2023, while more than 93,000 others sustained injuries within the same period.

He noted that motorcycles and minibuses accounted for a high number of crashes due to poor training, weak enforcement of traffic regulations and informal operating structures.

The transport expert also criticised the condition of many motor parks nationwide, describing them as chaotic and lacking basic infrastructure such as shelters, waiting areas and sanitation facilities.
He further raised concerns over rising incidents of harassment, insecurity and “one chance” robberies linked to poorly regulated transport operations in major cities

.On inland waterways, the professor lamented poor investment and weak regulation despite Nigeria’s vast water resources. He said the sector contributes only about 1.6 per cent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product.

Asenime added that more than 300 persons lost their lives in boat accidents between 2023 and 2025 due to overloading, lack of life jackets, night travel and poor maintenance culture.

He observed that Lagos State remains the only state with a functional water transport regulatory authority, though conflicts between state agencies and the Nigeria Inland Waterways Authority continue to affect effective regulation.

The don also stressed the need for reliable transportation data to improve planning, forecasting and infrastructure development.

To address the challenges, he recommended a review of the national transportation infrastructure master plan and urged states to develop strategic transport master plans similar to Lagos State’s model.

He also called for greater investment in rail and inland water transport systems and the integration of informal transport operators into formal transport planning frameworks.

Speaking after the lecture, Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, Kayode Opeifa, commended the Lagos State Government for transporting over 3.5 million passengers through the Blue Line rail corridor in 2025.

Opeifa said stronger collaboration among government institutions, researchers, regulators and operators would help improve safety, efficiency and sustainable mobility across Nigeria’s transport sector.