20th-Century Roads Cannot Drive the Modern Economy – LASU Don

Professor Bamidele Badejo has a blunt message for Nigeria’s leaders: the country is trying to run a modern economy on outdated transportation systems. Speaking at a summit in Lagos, the Chair of the Lagos State Government Professorial Endowment on Transport Studies said Nigeria’s development will remain stalled unless it urgently embraces sustainable, multimodal mobility.

“Transport is life,” he said. “Imagine if all movement stopped for a day — life itself would grind to a halt.”

Badejo described the nation’s reliance on roads as “chronic underdevelopment”, with over 90 per cent of passengers and goods moving on worn, overcrowded routes. Rail, water, and air systems, he noted, remain neglected, exposing a more profound crisis of poor planning, weak regulation, and policy inconsistency.

However, he believes Nigeria can still “leapfrog older technologies” by investing in green transportation, digital mobility, and intermodal links that connect road, rail, and waterways.

“The future will not just happen; we must build it,” he said, urging leaders to prioritise maintenance, discipline, and innovation. For Badejo, Nigeria’s transport challenge is not just about roads — it is about survival.

“Transportation is the backbone of development,” he said. “It is time to strengthen it.”