Stakeholders demand political will, coordinated infrastructure, industry consultation, sustainable investment to strengthen resilience against global disruptions at the JustNet News second Nigeria Transport Summit
Nigeria’s ambition to build an efficient, integrated transport system capable of supporting trade, lowering logistics costs and withstanding global disruptions will remain elusive unless governments at all levels move beyond policy formulation to effective implementation, transport experts have warned.
At the Second JustNet Nigeria Transport Summit 2026 in Lagos, industry stakeholders identified weak political will, politically driven infrastructure decisions, poor coordination among transport modes and inadequate consultation with operators as persistent obstacles to the development of an efficient multimodal transport system.
They called for stronger rail connectivity, viable public-private partnerships, transparent governance, sustainable funding and business continuity planning, warning that infrastructure investments would deliver limited benefits without policies that reflect actual commercial needs and connect roads, railways, seaports, airports and inland waterways.
The experts spoke during two panel sessions at the summit, organised by JustAlive Communications Limited, publishers of JustNet News, at Providence Hotel, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos, on Friday, October 23, 2026.
Held under the theme, “Navigating Global Disruptions and the Road Ahead: Mobility, Energy and Trade Facilitation for a Resilient Future,” the summit brought together government representatives, transport operators, logistics professionals and other industry stakeholders to examine Nigeria’s preparedness for geopolitical tensions, energy-market volatility, climate-related disruptions and uncertainty in global supply chains.
The discussions revealed a common concern: Nigeria’s transport challenge is not simply the absence of infrastructure or policy frameworks, but the failure to align planning, investment and implementation with the practical demands of businesses and the economy.
While the first panel examined strategies for strengthening mobility, energy security and trade facilitation amid global uncertainties, the second focused on rail-led multimodal integration, national connectivity and the need to reduce the country’s dependence on road transport for cargo movement.
The summit also featured a Transport Spotlight on Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL), operators of the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal Two (MMA2), showcasing the company’s approach to airport safety, infrastructure management and operational innovation.
BASL Highlights Safety, Innovation at MMA2
The Transport Spotlight examined BASL’s contribution to Nigeria’s transport development through its management of MMA2, featuring a short documentary on the terminal and interviews with its Head of Safety, Mrs. Nafisat Adeniran, and Head of Corporate Communications, Mrs. Ajoke Yinka-Olawuyi.
Moderated by media veteran Mr. Ewos Iroro, the session explored how resilience, innovation and digital technology could help sustain critical transport infrastructure despite operational and financial challenges.
Speaking on safety management, Adeniran said safety considerations were incorporated into the terminal’s design, construction and operational arrangements to ensure compliance with applicable requirements.
She explained that fire-safety equipment and other protective provisions were determined through risk assessments, while the company continued to review its safety management systems in response to operational changes and emerging trends.
According to her, MMA2 conducts two risk assessments annually — one in the first quarter and another towards the end of the year — to evaluate available resources, identify gaps and determine additional measures required to maintain acceptable safety standards.
The assessments also help the company establish whether existing risk controls remain adequate and reliable, she said.
Adeniran emphasised the importance of stakeholder participation in maintaining a safe operating environment, noting that the company engaged, empowered and trained stakeholders, including through free fire-safety training.
“We ensure we engage our stakeholders, we empower and also train them for free on fire training. This is because their involvement and participation is very key in our assessment,” she said.
On the recently signed agreements involving the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, aimed at resolving longstanding disputes among the Federal Government, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), BASL and Stabilini Visinoni Limited, Yinka-Olawuyi said the development could open a new chapter for the concession agreement.
She expressed optimism that resolving the disputes would create opportunities to unlock the agreement’s full potential, including through increased economic activity and job creation.
Operators Demand Policy Alignment, Business Continuity Plans
The first panel session examined how government and private-sector operators could build a resilient transport and trade system amid geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainty, climate change, shifting energy markets and disruptions to global supply chains.
The discussions, moderated by Iroro, centred on coordinated policymaking, business continuity planning, sustainable investment and stronger public-private partnerships.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Pathfinders International Limited, Mrs. Nkechi Onyenso, said businesses must prepare for disruptions within and outside their control, including pandemics, by developing comprehensive continuity plans and strategies for rapid recovery.
She stressed that government policies must reflect the operational realities of businesses, warning that a disconnect between policymakers and industry operators could undermine implementation and long-term sustainability.
“Everybody must be in the room. As governments make the policies, the players are also in the room,” Onyenso said, advocating closer collaboration between government and industry stakeholders in developing harmonised policies.
She also urged businesses to anticipate different risk scenarios and expand their preparedness plans to accommodate unexpected disruptions.
Representing the Managing Director of Aero Contractors, Captain Ado Sanusi, Mr. Benedict Olufemi similarly called for greater consultation with operators before policies were introduced or implemented.
He argued that some government decisions failed to account adequately for the practical challenges confronting businesses, resulting in avoidable operational difficulties.
Using airport operations as an example, Olufemi explained that passenger delays could arise from inadequate facilities and inefficient processing systems rather than airline performance alone.
He maintained that assessing operational capacity and consulting affected stakeholders before finalising policies would help identify bottlenecks, improve implementation and prevent unnecessary disruptions.
Aviation journalist and media veteran Mr. Wole Shadare drew attention to the wider economic consequences of natural and human-induced disruptions, particularly their effects on energy prices and transport operations.
He noted that geopolitical crises could trigger fluctuations in oil and gas prices, with consequences for shipping, aviation and other transport services.
Shadare argued that government responses should address the actual difficulties experienced by the public, stressing that communicating policies would achieve little if the measures introduced failed to ease the burden of disruptions.
The General Secretary of the Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI), Mr. Olumide Ohunayo, highlighted the need for adequate reserves and stronger cooperation between government and private operators to improve the industry’s capacity to withstand shocks.
He also drew attention to the financial pressures facing aviation businesses, arguing that airlines needed an operating environment that supported profitability and attracted investment.
According to him, government should regard itself as a partner in creating the conditions necessary for airlines to remain viable and continue serving the economy.
On public-private partnerships, Onyenso identified transparency, fairness, integrity and accountability as essential to building confidence between government and investors.
She said transparent financial records and commercially viable, sustainable projects could strengthen investor confidence and improve access to international funding.
The panel agreed that the government could not independently resolve the transport sector’s challenges without meaningful collaboration with private operators. It called for improved coordination, accountability and an investment environment that supports infrastructure development alongside the financial sustainability of transport businesses.
Political Considerations Hamper Rail Development
The second panel session brought the debate on policy implementation and infrastructure coordination into sharper focus, with transport and logistics experts questioning the political considerations shaping rail development and the limited integration of different transport modes.
Moderated by The Guardian Transport Editor, Mr. Olusegun Koiki, the session examined rail-led multimodal integration, trade facilitation and national connectivity.
The panelists expressed concern that Nigeria continued to rely heavily on roads for cargo movement despite the potential of railways and waterways to improve freight efficiency, reduce pressure on highways and lower logistics costs.
The Publisher of MMS Plus, Mr. Kingsley Anaroke, criticised what he described as the political considerations influencing rail development, arguing that infrastructure decisions had not consistently reflected the country’s commercial requirements and cargo movement patterns.
He cited the transfer of rail development from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List under former President Muhammadu Buhari as an effort to enable states to develop their own rail systems.
However, he argued that many states still depended on the Federal Government to actualise the policy’s objectives.
Anaroke also questioned the distribution of rail projects, citing Lagos, Ogun, Kaduna and Kano as areas that had received attention while the South-East and South-South had not enjoyed comparable development.
“Transport development has always been politically driven. We do not develop them because we need them,” he said.
He called for rail corridors to be determined by cargo volumes, commercial demand and the movement of goods across the country, rather than political considerations.
Anaroke further advocated stronger rail connectivity to the South-East and South-South, alongside greater private-sector participation in rail operations to improve freight movement and reduce dependence on roads.
The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Expedite Movers Nigeria Limited, Mrs. Olubowale Iseoluwa, reinforced the need for interconnectivity, stressing that transport services should be designed around the practical needs of businesses.
She cautioned against imposing operational requirements that could discourage freight owners from using rail services.
Illustrating the problem, Iseoluwa recounted an experience in which she sought to transport two containers from a port towards Maiduguri but was informed by Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) officials that the service could not accommodate the consignment unless she had at least 10 or 11 containers.
The experience, she said, raised concerns about the accessibility of rail freight services to smaller businesses and cargo owners whose consignments might not meet the minimum volume requirements.
Her account underscored a central issue raised during the session: rail infrastructure and services must be commercially accessible and responsive to different categories of users if the country is to achieve a meaningful shift from road-dependent freight transport.
Policy Implementation, Not Planning, Is the Real Challenge
The Managing Director of AZ Logistics, Dr. Azeez Mustapha, identified poor implementation as one of Nigeria’s most significant transport-sector challenges, arguing that the country could not achieve an efficient system by treating each transport mode as a separate entity.
He stressed that railways, seaports, airports and road networks must operate as interconnected components of a single transport system to facilitate the seamless movement of goods and passengers.
According to Mustapha, the effectiveness of any transport infrastructure depends not only on its construction but also on how well it connects with other facilities and supports the movement of cargo from origin to destination.
His position reinforced calls for a shift from isolated infrastructure projects towards integrated transport planning, with particular attention to the connections between freight-generating locations, terminals, ports and distribution networks.
The Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Blue Economy, Mr. Oluwadamilola Emmanuel, represented by Mr. Shittu Oladimeji of the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), also emphasised the importance of planning and feasibility studies in infrastructure development.
He warned that constructing facilities without understanding cargo origins, destinations and movement patterns could undermine their usefulness and result in investments that failed to meet their intended objectives.
Emmanuel’s representative highlighted Lagos State’s efforts to promote multimodal transportation, stressing the importance of connecting coastal communities and waterways with rail and road networks to improve mobility and cargo distribution.
The discussions also exposed the limitations of adopting foreign transport models without adapting them to local conditions and ensuring effective implementation.
The experts maintained that successful multimodal integration required coordinated action by federal and state governments, private-sector operators and other stakeholders, supported by infrastructure planning that responds to commercial demand.
They called for an integrated approach capable of improving national connectivity, facilitating trade, reducing logistics costs and making transport services more efficient and resilient.
Summit Convener Urges Coordinated Response to Global Disruptions
Earlier, the Convener of the summit, Mrs. Pearl Ngwama, welcomed participants and expressed appreciation for the strong turnout, describing the gathering as timely given the operational, economic and geopolitical uncertainties confronting the transport industry.
She said the participation of government representatives, industry leaders and other stakeholders reflected a shared understanding that transport was too critical to Nigeria’s economic future to be managed through fragmented policies, isolated investments and uncoordinated decisions.
The summit’s central message was that resilience requires more than the construction of infrastructure. It demands the political will to implement policies, the coordination to connect transport modes, the transparency to attract investment and the willingness to involve operators in decisions affecting their businesses.
For Nigeria, the challenge is to translate these priorities into practical action — ensuring that rail, road, maritime, aviation and inland waterway systems complement one another while supporting energy security, logistics efficiency and trade facilitation.
The discussions at the summit therefore placed renewed emphasis on implementation, commercial viability and collaboration as essential foundations for a transport network capable of responding to global shocks and supporting sustainable economic growth.