Suitable road network is essential to Nigeria’s economic growth. This is because it has a direct impact on the GDP as it enhances productivity. Roads alone account for major passengers and freight movements in Nigeria. Nigeria’s road network increased by 2,930 per cent from 6,500km in 1960 to about 197, 000 km in 2010; and to about 200,000 km in 2018. Road transport is the most commonly used means of transportation in Nigeria accounting for more than 90 per cent of passengers and freight movements. Other means of transportation in their poor state and meagreness account for just 10 per cent of passengers and freight movements. This scenario often causes significant traffic congestion especially in the cities.
In most cities, particularly in Lagos, the decrepit roads and high traffic jam indicate that these road networks are poorly maintained and overused; especially because of urban migration and increased number of vehicles.
In countries like USA, United Kingdom and South Africa, road transportation accounts for 60 per cent, 65 per cent and 87 per centrespectively, while other means of transportation account for 40 per cent, 35 per cent and 13 per cent respectively.
Countries like China has a total road network of 4,577,300 km (as at 2015); USA, 6,586,610 km(2012); Turkey, 385,754 km (2012); Brazil, 1,580,964 km (2010); India, 4,699,024 km (2015); Japan, 1,218,772 km (2015 ); and South Africa, 747,014 km (2014). Road network includes all roads in the country: motorways, highways, main or national roads, secondary or regional roads, and other urban and rural roads.
Of the total estimated 200,000 km road networks, 18 per cent (35,000 km) of the total roads are federal roads; state roads,15 per cent (17,000 km); and local government roads 67 per cent (150,000 km). Available data shows that the federal roads account for about 70 per cent of the national vehicular and freight traffic while the state and the local roads account for the remaining 30 per cent.
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Also, 27 per cent of the federal road network is in good condition and requires just routine maintenance, 30 per cent in fair condition, requiring recurrent and periodic maintenance and strengthening, 40 per cent is in poor condition and requires rehabilitation and improvement while the remaining 3 per cent consists of unpaved trunk roads that need to be paved. Further, 78 per cent of state roads are in poor condition, with 87 per cent of local government roads also considered to be in poor condition. Also, 18 per cent (36,000 km) of the total road network is paved while the unpaved access roads make up the remaining 82 per cent (164,000 km).
However, with Nigeria population of over 193 million in 2016, the road network per 1,000 people for Nigeria is 1.03 km; the paved road network per 1,000 people is 0.00 km, and the unpaved road network per 1,000 people is 1.00 km. In addition, with total vehicles of 11,547,236 in 2017, the total road network per 1,000 vehicles is 17.3 km. Of the total vehicles of 11,547,236 in 2017, commercial vehicles accounted for 58.45 per cent; private vehicles account for 40.33 per cent; government vehicles accounted for 1.17 per cent while diplomatic vehicles accounted for the remaining 0.05 per cent. With the land area of 923,768.64 km, road network per land area (100 sq. km) accounted for 21.7 km.
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Although, Nigeria has poor road network compared to India, Japan, China, Brazil, Russia, USA and South Africa, it is relatively the same with that of Turkey, Pakistan and Indonesia, but higher than those of Kenya, Egypt, Ethiopia and Ghana.
Benchmarking Nigeria to emerging economies like Brazil, South Africa and Turkey, Nigeria requires 1,380,964 Km of road network to meet up with Brazil’s road network, 547,014 km to meet up with South Africa’s and 185,754 km to meet up with Turkey’s road network.
Nigeria with the total population of 193,392,517 as at 2016 had a road network of 1.03km per 1,000 people which is very low compared to countries like Japan, Turkey, Brazil, South Africa, Russia, India, China, USA, Kenya and Ghana. With 1.03km road network per 1,000 people, Nigeria ranked the lowest amongst the countries listed.
Comparing road network per vehicle, Nigeria with total vehicles of 11,547,236 in 2017 had 58 vehicles to every Kilometre of road which is above the national average at 11 vehicles to every kilometre of pliable road. For Nigeria to achieve 11 vehicles to every kilometre of road, the current estimated 200,000 km of road would have to increase by about 800,000 km. Computing the road network per 1,000 vehicles, Nigeria has 17.3km ranking lower than all the countries listed except Japan which had 15.7km.
