Nigeria’s Transport Sector must be Professionalised to Meet Global Challenges – Otti

Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has tasked the federal government of Nigeria and industry players on the need to professionalise the transportation sector to meet global challenges.

Governor Otti made the call in Abuja during a presentation at the National Transportation Conference organized by the Chartered Institute of Transport Administration (CIOTA).

The Governor, who was represented by the Commissioner for transport, Dr. Chimezie Ukaegbu, noted that for all hands must be on deck for the country to reposition the transport sector for global competitiveness.

According to him, while policymakers need to create the enabling legislation and master plans, investors on the other hand must bring capital, technology, and expertise.

He added that regulators should operate transparently and professionally and the Academia and innovators, should drive local solutions and research, while citizens should demand accountability and support reform efforts.

The Governor pointed out that repositioning Nigeria’s transport infrastructure and governance models requires immediate action, stressing that the road to global competitiveness begins with a single step, a bold, coordinated, and unwavering commitment to doing things differently.

“Repositioning Nigeria’s transport infrastructure and governance models is not a task for tomorrow—it is the imperative of today.”

“The road to global competitiveness begins with a single step—a bold, coordinated, and unwavering commitment to doing things differently.”

Let us be the generation that redefined Nigeria’s trajectory.

He advised all to be the generation that redefined Nigeria’s trajectory, build the roads, the rails, the ports, and the policies that will carry Nigeria into a future of prosperity.

While underscoring the nation’s abundant resources, the Governor reiterated that Nigeria, as strategically positioned on the African continent, has all it takes to be a globally competitive economy.

He further called for decentralization and Private Sector Participation, stressing that Governance must shift from centralized command to collaborative frameworks, just as state governments and the private sector must be empowered and incentivized to develop and manage transport assets.

He emphasised that Nigeria needs a streamlined, transparent regulatory environment that facilitates rather than frustrates and called for the strengthening of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) as a catalyst for development.

He maintained that government must move from being the sole financier to being an enabler noting that viable PPP models with clear risk-sharing frameworks can unlock billions in infrastructure financing.