An Appraisal of the Nigerian Transport Sector: Evidence from the Railway and Aviation Sub-Sectors

This study is an evaluation of the Nigerian transport sector with particular references to the railway and aviation sub-sectors. Modern transport and freight distribution system, all over the world, are tending towards the adoption of best practices that are reliable, timely and cost-effective. Secondary data obtained from relevant agencies and simple graph and percentage methods were used in analysing the trends. The findings of this paper reveal that when the demand for railway services by passengers dropped, trains resulted in carrying more freight to compensate for the loss while a rise in the number of passengers led to a fall in the freight carried. Furthermore, it was discovered that Nigeria experienced 37 air mishaps from 1969 - 2012 with the highest occurrences in 1995 which affected air traffic negatively. The growth rate of passengers dropped by 74.9 per cent in 1995 while freight carried in tones went down with about 86.2 per cent under the same period as against mail carried with 1427.5 per cent increase. In general, the findings show a low and a continuous fall in the activity of transport sector in Nigeria. The study identifies high operation cost and inadequate funding as major challenges facing the sub-sectors; and it also highlights increased private sector participation and improved funding as major policy options. The paper calls for government to have a Marshall Plan for transportation development in Nigeria if broad based economic development is to be achieved. Key Words: Transportation, Nigeria, Railway, Aviation, Freight, Secto