A leading urban planning scholar and Professor of Transport Geography, Prof. Musilimu Adeyinka Adetunji, has called for a sustainable overhaul of Nigeria’s transport systems through the redesign of master plans to promote efficient mobility and safety.
Delivering the 30th Inaugural Lecture of the Federal University Lokoja, Prof. Adetunji said the adoption of the Smart City Model would address many of the transportation challenges currently faced in Nigerian cities.
He emphasized that promoting mixed land-use patterns would significantly reduce long-distance commuting, while modernizing road infrastructure to accommodate present-day vehicular traffic is essential.
“Constructing and rehabilitating existing roads to meet modern standards, providing pedestrian walkways, zebra crossings, and streetlights, as well as encouraging the design of bicycle paths, will ease pressure on public transport and personal vehicles,” he noted.
The professor also advocated for the introduction of mass transit and light rail systems to reduce traffic congestion and enhance environmental sustainability. He further recommended restricting the use of motorcycles and tricycles to feeder roads to improve safety.
Prof. Adetunji urged the government to review national transport policy, promote non-automobile modes of commuting, and intensify public enlightenment campaigns on traffic rules to encourage safe driving practices.
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University Lokoja, Prof. Akinwumi Olayemi, described the lecture as timely, given Nigeria’s rapid urbanization and the growing challenges of mobility in expanding cities.
“As is customary, inaugural lectures in our University serve not only as platforms for our eminent professors to share their research and intellectual journeys but also as opportunities for us to reflect on pressing national and global issues,” he said.
