REBUILDING RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE IN NIGERIA: POLICY, PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS

With a land area of 910,768 sq. km, population estimate of 150 million people and GDP-growth rate of 6.9% per annum (2006 est), the centrality of effective public transportation in Nigeria is readily seen. In this regard, rail transportation offers much potential because of its relative safety, reliability, lower cost to the users and being singularly capable of transforming the national economy through mass movement of people, goods and services. Within this context, the demand for an effective railway system, and the enormous potentials for profitable investment in rail infrastructure in Nigeria, is indisputable. Beginning with the history, the paper discusses the main problems of Nigeria's railway transport system; and then makes policy suggestions, after considering the potentials of rebuilding the rail infrastructure. The necessity of this work is premised on the fact that there is a significant gap in critical knowledge about Nigeria's railway transport system.