Transportation In Nigeria

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Today will be best to treat on transportation. Let's look into it.

Transportation is the movement of people, goods or commodities and services from one place to another, by land, water or air.

TRANSPORTATION METHODS IN NIGERIA

There are five (5) major transportation methods in Nigeria. They are:

1. Human potterage and the use of animals or beasts of burden.

2. Water navigation by ocean liners and boats as well as canoes on inland waterways.

3. Land transport by motor vehicles and trains.

4. Air transport by aircrafts such as planes and helicopters.

5. Pipeline transport.

TYPES OF TRANSPORTATION

The types of transportation are grouped into four, namely:

1. Land Transportation 2. Water Transportation 3. Air Transportation 4. Pipelines Transportation

TYPES OF TRANSPORTATION IN TERMS OF THEIR IMPORTANCE OR ADVANTAGES, PROBLEMS, LIMITATIONS AND SOLUTIONS.

1. LAND TRANSPORTATION

Land transportation is the movement of people, goods or commodities and services from one place to another, by land.

Means or Forms of Land Transportation

Means or forms of transportation on land include:

(a) HUMAN PORTERAGE: This is carrying things and the use of human legs to move from place to another. This can only be used over a short distance where loads may be carried on the head or shoulder through foot paths.

(b) ANIMALS (BEASTS OF BURDEN): This involves the beasts of burden or animals like camels, horses, donkeys, oxen and mules to carry passengers and goods from one place to another, through footpaths and caravan routes. This is very common in the northern part of Nigeria. It is also called animal potterage.

(c) ROAD TRANSPORT

Road transport involves the use of motor vehicles like cars, buses, motor cycles, tankers, trailers, lorries and trucks to move people and goods from one place to another.

The road networks in Nigeria can be classified into three:

(i) Trunk ‘A’ Roads (ii) Trunk ‘B’ Roads (iii) Trunk ‘C’ Roads.

(i) Trunk ‘A’ Roads: These are roads usually constructed and maintained by the federal government. They include the express roads or dual carriage motorways linking federal and state capitals, e.g. (i) Onitsha to Enugu (ii) Enugu to Port-Harcourt (iii) Lagos to Ibadan (iv) Lagos to Badagry to Seme (v) Abuja to Kaduna to Kano (vi) East to West Road.

(ii) Trunk ‘B’ Roads: These are roads usually constructed and maintained by the state governments. They include: Oshodi to Apapa (Lagos State) (ii) Katsina to Funtua (Katsina State) (iii) Onitsha to Nnewi (Anambra State) (iv) Onitsha to Nkpor to Nnobi to Ekwuluobia (Anambra State) (v) Owerri to Orlu (Imo State) (vi) Sapele to Warri (Delta State), etc.

(iii) Trunk ‘C’ Roads: These are roads usually constructed and maintained by the local governments. These are mostly local roads that are not tarred.

Importance or Advantages of Road Transport

(i) Roads serve as ‘feeders’ to rail, water and air transportations.

(ii) Roads provide door-to-door services and is more flexible means of transport as it can get to anywhere within the country.

(iii) It is the most common means of transport.

(iv) It facilitates the movement of people and goods within a short distance.

(v) It makes goods available where they are scarce.

(vi) It is the most flexible means of transport.

Problems or Disadvantages of Road Transport

(i) Roads are very expensive to construct and maintain.

(ii) Roads are difficult to construct, especially in highlands and swampy areas.

(iii) Roads are more prone to damages, especially washouts caused by heavy rain.

(iv) Amount of goods and passengers carried by road is limited.

(v) Roads are also prone to accidents than any other means of transportation.

Limitations of Road Transport

(i) Lack of capital and finance to construct and maintain the roads.

(ii) Presence of swampy areas as in the riverine areas.

(iii) Presence of highlands and other rugged relief.

(iv) Soil erosion caused by heavy rainfall.

Solutions to Road Transport

(i) Fund should be readily available in order to maintain the roads.

(ii) Flyovers and bridges should be constructed on lowlands, passes or gaps around mountain areas with gutters or culverts.

(iii) Bridges should be constructed across rivers.

(d) RAIL TRANSPORT

Rail transport is the cheapest and the slowest means of transportation on land, especially in Nigeria. Since between 1890 and 1930, a total of about 3,520km single track rail lines, having a narrow gauge of 107cm were constructed. The modern railway has a standard gauge of 143cm.

The breakdown of railway lines in Nigeria is:

(i) Railway lines between two or more towns e.g. The Western rail line from Lagos to Ibadan; Northern rail line from Kaduna to Nguru; the Eastern rail line from Port-Harcourt to Umuahia to Enugu to Jos to Kano, etc.

(ii) Railway junctions like Mina, Kaduna, Zaria and Kafanchan.

(iii) Railway terminals (i.e. where railway line ends) such as Iddo in Lagos, Kaura Namoda, Nguru, Maiduguri and Port-Harcourt.

Importance or Advantages of Rail Transport

(i) Railways help to open up remote and new lands which are potentially good for minerals and agricultural crops.

(ii) Railway is the most convenient means of transporting bulky goods (raw and manufactured) to and from industrial areas.

(iii) It is relatively very cheap in the transportation of people and goods from place to place.

(iv) Underground railway (sub-way) provides the most convenient means of carrying passengers in urban areas.

(v) It has the advantage of transporting goods and passengers over a long distance unlike roads.

Problems or Disadvantages of Rail transport

(i) Rail transport involves high cost of construction and maintenance.

(ii) It is very slow and therefore not suitable for transportation of perishable goods.

(iii) Nigeria rail tracks are of a narrow gauge and the government is yet to complete the replacement with standard gauge which would enable modern faster trains to ply on them.

(iv) Constant stopping and changing of drivers and passengers at each station waste a lot of time.

(v) Rail transport depends on roads to feed it with passengers and goods at different stations.

Limitations of Rail Transport

(i) Rail transport is too slow.

(ii) There is lack of spare parts and technical know-how as well as poor maintenance.

(iii) It has very low patronage and high competition with other forms of transport.

(iv) It still makes use of narrow gauges with single tracks.

(v) Inadequate financing or funding.

Solutions to Railway Transportation

(i) People should be trained on rail maintenance.

(ii) Railway fare should be cheap to attract passengers.

(iii) Modern rail systems with wide gauges and multiple tracks should be developed.

(iv) Spare parts should be made available.

(v) Rail transport should be properly funded.

2. WATER TRANSPORT OR NAVIGATION

(a) Inland Waterways or Navigation

This involves navigation along the creeks, lagoons, canals, lakes and rivers; and the ferrying across them. The main inland waterways or navigation in Nigeria are:

(i) River Niger (ii) River Benue (iii) Cross river (iv) Lake Chad (v) Kainji Lake (vi) Some creeks, lagoons and canals. Vehicles used on inland waterways or navigation are: canoes, boats, rafts, ferries and so on.

(b) Ocean or Sea Navigation

This involves the use of international waters to transport passengers and commodities between Nigeria and other countries, and between two regions in the country using the oceans especially along the coast. Seaports and shipping links are built in the coastal areas of Nigeria such as Lagos, Sapele, Akassa, Warri, Port-Harcourt and Calabar. Coal barges, trawlers, tankers, cargo, passenger and sub-marines (war vessel) ply these routes. Lagos (Apapa and Tin-can Island ports) serve as Nigeria’s leading ports. They handle more than sixty (60%) of ships which come into Nigeria.

Importance or Advantages of Water Transport

(i) The oceans and seas are free for all nations to use.

(ii) Water transport is the cheapest means of transport between countries.

(iii) Inland waterways have opened up inaccessible areas and allowed them to have social amenities.

(iv) Ocean navigation is used to move bulky goods from one country to another during international trade.

(v) Cost of construction and maintenance is low and only restricted to ships and ports.

(vi) It is good for transporting goods over a long distance.

(vii) It is relatively safe.

Problems or Disadvantages of Water Transport

(i) Water transport is the slowest means of transport as it takes a very long time to get to its destination.

(ii) Cost of acquiring a ship is very high.

(iii) Cost of port construction and maintenance is high too.

(iv) Lack of technical know-how in ship maintenance.

Limitations of Water Transport

(i) There are rapids, waterfalls and cataracts, which restricts the use of rivers to some extent.

(ii) Seasonality of most Nigerian rivers is a problem.

(iii) There are lots of alluvial deposits at the delta, sand bars at the river mouth and shallow waters along the coast being constraint to port development.

(iv) Presence of floating vegetation (that is, water weeds) such as water hyacinths.

(v) Most rivers in Nigeria have narrow gorges and ports, which may be silted up or frozen.

(vi) There is the problem of sea sickness during navigation.

(vii) Most of the Nigerian rivers are short and contain shallow water.

(viii) There is limited capital to construct seaports.

(ix) Water transport is too slow for passengers and perishable goods.

Solutions to Problems of Water Transport

(i) Rivers should be made navigable by dredging regularly.

(ii) Ships should be equipped with refrigerated holds.

(iii) Medical facilities on board should be improved.

(iv) There should be improved technology and installation of modern navigational aids and the use of ice breakers.

(v) Canals should be constructed to reach landlocked countries.

(vi) Construction of canals to by-pass rapids, waterfalls and cataracts.

(vii) Loans should be granted to construct and maintain seaports and river ports.

(viii) Water weeds should be put under permanent control.

3. AIR TRANSPORT

Air transport is the fastest and most expensive means of transportation. It is an efficient and reliable modern means of transportation. It involves the use of aeroplanes, helicopters, jet liners, jet fighters and bombers (war planes) and rockets or space crafts (for space explorations), for travelling from one place to another, by air. Airports or Aerodromes / Air fields are places or points from which aeroplanes take-off and land. Two types of services are provided at the airports or aerodromes:

(a) Domestic (Local) Flight Services by Domestic Airports called the Aerodromes or Airfield; and

(b) International Flight Services by International Airports.

(a) DOMESTIC (LOCAL) FLIGHT SERVICES BY DOMESTIC AIRPORTS

These are the air transport services involving the movement of passengers, mails, and other cargo within the country, using domestic airports within Nigeria. Planes fly from one state to another, e.g. Lagos, Enugu, Asaba, Owerri, Benin-city, Port-Harcourt, Abuja, Kaduna, Maiduguri, Jos, etc , domestic airports.

(b) INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT SERVICES BY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTS

These are the air transport services involving the movement of passengers, mails, and other cargo linking Nigeria with other countries in Africa and in other parts of the world. The airports in Nigeria where planes can land and take-off for both domestic and international flights are:

(i) Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos;

(ii) Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano;

(iii) Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja;

(iv) Port-Harcourt International Airport, Port-Harcourt.

(v) Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu.

Importance or Advantages Air Transport

(i) Air transport is the fastest means of transport.

(ii) Aeroplanes can cross mountains, dense forests, large oceans, seas and deserts with great ease and speed.

(iii) It uses direct routes.

(iv) It can reach any place provided there are landing facilities.

(v) Urgently required medicare supplies, machine parts, express mails are easily dispatched by aeroplanes.

Problems or Disadvantages of Air Transport

(i) Air transport is expensive to operate and maintain, especially the aircrafts and airport facilities.

(ii) It is very expensive to in terms of charges or fares paid by passengers.

(iii) Lack of space in aircrafts restricts their use for flights.

(iv) There is the problem of safety as incidence of plane crashes, hijacks and terrorism is becoming rampant.

(v) It is easily affected by bad weather which makes visibility very poor.

Limitations to Air Transport

(i) There is problem of poor management and inadequate security.

(ii) Weather hazards, e.g. harmattan, lines squalls, may limit air transportation.

(iii) There is limited capital to construct airports.

(iv) There is problem of low patronage due to low income of the people.

(v) There is inadequate indigenous skilled labour for construction and maintenance of airports and airplanes.

(vi) There is limited trade between the countries in the West Africa sub-region.

(vii) There is problem of inadequate spare parts.

Solutions to Problems of Air transport

(i) Efficient management should be adopted.

(ii) Educational system should be changed to favour technical and scientific skills.

(iii) Loans should be sourced locally or from abroad.

(iv) There should be improvement in technology and standard of living.

(v) Inter-regional trade within the region should be improved.

4. PIPELINES TRANSPORTATION

This is a mode of transportation used to move liquid or gaseous commodities from place to place. It may be petroleum from the drilling areas (wells) to the refinery; or to market depot; or the oil terminals at the seaports for shipment. If gas, to the thermal gas plants for the production of electricity and other things. If water to the reservoir and main pipe-borne water supply distribution mains to homes, industries and irrigated farmlands. And if waste water or sewage, to sewage (waste) treatment plants.

Examples of Commodities and Materials Transported By Pipelines

(a) Petroleum and gas (both crude and refined products).

(b) Potable water supply (from borehole or reservoirs are distributed through mains to homes, industries and irrigated farmland areas).

(c) Sewage (waste: both Solid and Liquid) products are piped from homes to sewage treatment or recycling plants.

The oil pipeline from Warri to the Kaduna refinery is very important example in Nigeria. Others are the ones that are distribution channels to and connecting the various Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Depots all over the country.

GENERAL PROBLEMS OF TRANSPORTATION

Problems of transportation can be grouped into physical and human factors:

1. PHYSICAL FACTORS

(a) Presence of Highlands: This can limit roads, railways and airports construction in an area.

(b) Soil Erosion: The roads and railway tracks are often washed away due to heavy rainfall. The solution is to construct culverts or good drainage channels or gutters or canals.

(c) Presence of Marshy Areas: The development of roads and railways also get limited by marshy areas like in the Niger Delta of Nigeria. This can only be overcome through the construction of flyovers and bridges.

(d) Poor Visibility: This is a peculiar problem to air and ocean transportation due to the formation of fog and haze in the lower atmosphere.

(e) Distance: The longer the distance between towns, the more the money (fares), energy, time and cost of transportation.

(f) Presence of Many Rivers: This impedes the development of roads and railways as in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria. The only solution is construction of bridges and fly-overs across such rivers, though very expensive.

2. HUMAN FACTORS

(a) Lack of or Inadequate Capital: Lack of, or insufficient capital hampers transport development in such areas as roads, railways, seaports or river ports, airports and so on.

(b) Inadequate Spare Parts: In most cases in developing countries, spare parts are not always available to replace worn-out parts.

(c) Attitude of Road Users: There are problems related to the attitude of road users, who have no regards for High Way Codes. Some drivers may even be drunk while driving, or might even be under-aged and inexperienced.

(d) Lack of Technical Know-how: Poor knowledge of these means of transport leads to wastage and deterioration of transport facilities.

(e) Poor Management: There is problem of mismanagement of resources meant for developing transport system. The financial resources may be mismanaged.

(f) Low Patronage: Owing to low patronage of these means of transportation, partly due to low income and low volume of trade, government is not always encouraged to construct roads, railways and so on.

(g) Port Congestions: There is problem related to congestion of all ports.

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Wonderful write up

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Nigeria has to improve on the aspect of transportation. Accidents occuring everyday due to bad roads

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