Nigeria adopts National Land Transport Policy after decades of delay
November 20, 2025: Nigeria has taken a historic leap in its transport evolution with the Federal Government’s approval of the long-delayed National Land Transport Policy.
Some experts in the transport sector said the approval was a milestone and would also fundamentally reshaped mobility, professionalise operations, and boost economic performance nationwide.
The National Publicity Secretary, Chartered Institute of Transport Administration of Nigeria (CIOTA), Dr Chizoba Anyika, disclosure this in a statement after a virtual press briefing that the National Executive Council (NEC) approved the policy on July 31, 2025.
Anyinka said that the stalled drafts and fragmented initiatives had hindered coherent transport reform.
She said that CIOTA described the approval as a “bright torch of hope” sparked by resolutions from the Institute’s 7th National Conference held in Abuja.
Anyika noted that years of advocacy, technical work, and collaboration among transport professionals and development partners had finally crystallised into a national asset.
“Let the media tell it to the world that Nigeria now has a Transportation Policy.
“The mandate to convey the announcement came directly from the Minister of Transportation, Sen. Sa’id Alkali, during the conference.
The 7th CIOTA Conference, which brought together over 450 delegates at the NICON Luxury Hotel, featured inputs from former and serving leaders of the Federal Road Safety Corps.
Other participants were the Police, Vehicle Inspection Offices, military and paramilitary agencies, traditional rulers, and transport industry professionals. Conversations reinforced the urgent need for an integrated, multimodal, and globally aligned transport management system.
CIOTA President, Dr Segun Obayendo, applauded the media for its consistent coverage of CIOTA’s reform efforts, stressing that professionalisation remains the foundation for building a modern, efficient, and economically viable transport sector.
Obayendo said that a fully professionalised ecosystem would significantly expand employment opportunities and enhance revenue generation.
He highlighted CIOTA’s growing partnership with ALGON, the umbrella body for Nigeria’s 774 local government councils.
” Through this collaboration, each council was expected to appoint a Supervisory Councillor for Transport. a move aimed at decentralising transport governance and ensuring that even remote communities benefit from a structured, standardised system.
He, however, noted that deepening professionalism across all tiers of the sector would make the administration’s ₦1 trillion economic target far more achievable.
