Nigeria would require approximately N35 trillion to make its road infrastructure smart, according to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
Clement Oladele, deputy corps marshal of the FRSC, made this statement during a panel session on ‘Harnessing Smart Infrastructure to Revolutionise Road Safety’ at the BusinessDay Breakfast Meeting/Townhall in Abuja on Wednesday.
Oladele explained that Nigeria’s existing road infrastructure is currently valued at N70 trillion. He said transitioning to smart infrastructure would enhance road safety and operational efficiency for both road managers and enforcement agencies.
“Road infrastructure includes bridges, and superhighways which the government of Nigeria is trying to construct. When you talk about smart infrastructure, you have a system and facilities that can make the roads smart, intelligent, in such a way that people are safe. It also makes the managers of the roads and enforcement officers more efficient,” he explained.
Citing the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), he said road infrastructure in Nigeria is valued at N70 trillion.
“So, if Nigeria’s infrastructure disappears today for whatever reason, Nigeria will have to look for N70 trillion to replace them, even at the state at which they are now. And if you are going to improve the road infrastructure to become intelligent infrastructure, you’ll need about half of that cost to make the highways smart,” he added.
Vincent Olatunji, national commissioner/CEO of the National Data Protection Commission, represented by Ibukunoluwa Owa, head of the Regulations Unit, emphasised the importance of data safety as the FRSC integrates smart technology into traffic monitoring systems.
The commissioner pointed out that such technology often relies on personal data, urging the need to safeguard this information.
“Citizens must provide personal data, including their name, home address, and vehicle number,” she stated.
“If this data is not protected, it could fall into the wrong hands, leading to identity theft, unauthorised access, and fraud.”
Olatunji noted that ensuring data protection is crucial for building public trust.
“If citizens do not believe that their data will be safeguarded by the FRSC, they will be reluctant to use the apps. Without their participation, we will lack a comprehensive and accurate understanding of road users and relevant information.”
Olatunji urged that the FRSC collect data essentially for specific purposes to maintain privacy and security for all road users.
Read also: Aigbogun calls for increased funding to strengthen FRSC’s service delivery
Abandoned projects
In 2022, the Chartered Institute of Project Managers of Nigeria (CIPMN) had expressed worry over about 56, 000 projects across the country.
The institute attributed the level of project abandonment to the nation’s inability to engage professionals in the construction of projects.
In February 2024, the House of Representatives had called on the President Bola Tinubu-led administration to revisit all abandoned projects across the country and complete them.
“Available statistics have shown that over 60,000 projects are abandoned in Nigeria, thereby obstructing citizens from utilising their tax proceeds and natural resources, with the total value of these projects reaching trillions of Naira,” said Joseph Adegbesan, sponsor of the bill and member representing Ijebu North/Ijebu East/Ogun Waterside.
“Successive administrations have been ignoring these projects on the premise that it was not initiated by their government or not within their policy direction, disregarding their importance to Nigerians and taxpayers’ money spent,” he had said.
Data protection
According to Olatunji, “For systems to function efficiently, citizens need assurance that their data is safe and handled lawfully.
“For agencies like the FRSC, which is mandated to collect data to promote road safety, transparency entails clearly communicating data practices to the public, particularly through a well-outlined privacy policy.
“Data minimization and purpose limitation are essential,” Olatunji stated, urging the FRSC to collect only necessary data such as vehicle registration and contact information, and to limit data use strictly to its original intent.
He explained that any additional information collection—such as email addresses—should be avoided unless it directly serves FRSC’s traffic management goals.
The NDPC boss recommended a data retention policy to ensure personal data is stored only for legally mandated or operationally necessary durations.
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