The Minister of Transportation, Senator Said Ahmed Alkali, says the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved Nigeria’s first-ever National Land Transport Policy, a landmark framework aimed at modernising the transport sector and positioning it for global competitiveness.

Speaking at the 7th National Conference of the Chartered Institute of Transport Administration of Nigeria (CIOTA) in Abuja on Tuesday, Alkali said the policy was developed through extensive stakeholder collaboration and marks a major step toward achieving a safe, efficient, and integrated transport system.

“Upon my appointment as Minister, I set it as one of my critical objectives,” Alkali said. “With commitment, perseverance, and the cooperation of all major stakeholders — of which CIOTA and its key members made significant contributions — and finally, with the support of Mr. President, we were able to get the policy approved at the Federal Executive Council.”

He noted that the ministry was also promoting indigenous innovation in logistics and mobility, citing the successful test flight of drones developed by engineers at the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT), Zaria, as an example.

“We are positioning Nigeria to harness smart mobility solutions, intelligent transport systems, and blockchain-enabled logistics to enhance transparency and sustainability,” Alkali added.

Also speaking at the conference, Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State commended CIOTA for setting professional standards, offering training, and creating platforms for collaboration among transport experts and investors.

“I’m proud of CIOTA for their professional activities shaping the transport sector for investors to start putting their funds in the sector,” the governor said.

Highlighting Kaduna’s recent achievements, Sani said the state’s ongoing “roads revolution” has launched 85 urban and rural roads spanning 785 kilometres, with nearly half already completed.

“These new arteries open up corridors of commerce, connect farmers to markets, traders to customers, and commuters to opportunity,” he explained.

He further noted that Kaduna has unveiled the Kaduna Bus Rapid Transit (KBRT) — the first in Northern Nigeria — in partnership with the Agence Française de Développement, featuring a 24-kilometre corridor and 120 compressed natural gas-powered buses that will cut carbon emissions by 38 percent and generate over 14,000 jobs.

Sani also mentioned the modern interstate bus terminal at Kakuri nearing completion, a subsidised CNG transport scheme with 100 buses, and the Kaduna Light Rail project, now at an advanced stage.

“Our vision goes further to lay rails,” he said. “The Kaduna Light Rail project will be rolled out in phases — reviving the Rigachikun–Sabon Tasha corridor and linking Millennium City to the Abuja–Kaduna line.”

In his remarks, CIOTA President, Prince Segun Obayendo, said the conference theme — “Repositioning Nigeria’s Transport Infrastructure and Governance Models for Global Competitiveness” — underscores the importance of building transport systems that serve as the arteries of a modern economy.

“Global competitiveness in transport means seamless multimodal integration,” Obayendo said. “It means a passenger can travel from Kano to Lagos by rail, connect to an international flight, and have their cargo moving simultaneously through efficient logistics chains.”

He added that despite Nigeria’s growing transport education base — with 27 universities, six polytechnics, and five maritime institutes offering relevant programs — the sector still faces professionalism gaps, particularly in inland waterways operations.

“If the sector is not professionalised, what becomes of our children pursuing these courses?” he asked. “This underscores the urgent need for rigorous training, certification, and enforcement of professional standards across all transport modes.”

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