News
Haulage Trucking: FG Moves To Ban Trailers, Tankers …To Revert To Rail Transport
The Minster of Power,
Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has said that all businesses involving movement of trailers and tankers on Nigeria roads were to revert to rail transportation even as he blamed the past administrations for the recession in the country.
Fashola, in Abuja, yesterday, expressed dismay at the rate the roads and bridges are collapsing as a result of stress of cargoes on them by the tankers and trailers, and warned that unless the trend is reversed, the transportation business would be adversely affected.
The minister promised to collaborate with the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, on ensuring that cargoes were routed through the rail.
Fashola pointed out that in pursuing the rail project, there was a lot of inter-ministerial collaboration between his ministry and that of transportation, adding that the minister of transportation, who, according to him, understands the issues more than any other person, would be in a better position to explain the progress being made in the sector.
The minister noted that the, “Plans will take time to evolve. You will see that the Ministry of Transportation has delivered the Abuja – Kaduna rail. You see that the Lagos-Kano rail project and all of that were high issues during the budget presentations. I think that all of us now in the Executive and in Parliament are on one page; we are all agreed and there is an understanding of what needs to be done”, he said.
The minister said there was need for all the stakeholders including government and all those in the transportation business, especially those in the trailer and tanker business moving cargo across the country, to agree on reverting to the rail transportation as means of moving heavy cargo in order to save the roads.
Recalling that he had in the past suggested to the drivers of articulated vehicles moving heavy cargos to begin to think of alternative means, seeing the damage they cause on the roads, Fashola pointed out that if this was not done in time the roads may collapse, and so, would their business.
“In the past, I told all the tanker drivers that if they could move from rail transport to tanker and container transport on roads and we have seen the damage we have done, there is no reason we cannot move back”, the minister said, adding that although it may take time but there must be a common agreement to move off the roads “because if the roads fail, the transport business dies”.
He declared, “So, in the same way, they import trailers to move their cargo, they can begin to make arrangements to import wagons. We must all agree that this is the way to go. I am convinced that this is the way to go for the future”, adding that Nigerians have even designed tankers beyond the capacity found in any other parts of the world.
“We must all agree because this is not sustainable”, he said.
Fashola suggested that instead of building and reconstructing the rail-lines, the same containers and tankers could be configured to run on tracks, adding, that the present administration was now moving cattle by rail from the North to Lagos and that, according to him, is how it should go to save the roads.
On the rehabilitation project, the minister, who described it as an emergency intervention, added, “This is why Ijora-Apapa Bridge failed because it was just over burdened with cargo for a very long time and after sometime it could not hold it anymore”.
Explaining his reason for the inspection, the minister said, “I am here to see things for myself so that those who will give me budgetary support when they ask me for details I can give to them”, adding that the project could not be appropriated in the 2016 budget but would be accommodated in the 2017 budget.
According to him, “The chairman Senate committee on works is someone who is also committed to this project and to finish it. Unfortunately, the appropriation did not deal with it this year, probably next year, in a sense that we give some relief to the people of Apapa and the environs and we hope that as we go on, we will be able to revive the old rail tracks even if all it does is to move our cargo”.
The Ministry of Transportation, he said, is working to revive the rail transportation.
On how the Tin-Can Apapa Bridge and other roads in the area got to its present situation, Fashola, who recalled that Apapa was the nation’s first industrial estate, declared, “You need to understand the history of Apapa itself. This is, I believe, Nigeria’s first industrial estate; that is what led to the ports in the early 20th century.
“If you go behind the ports you will see all the rail tracks to evacuate cargo from the ports. They were used to evacuate petroleum products from the depots. They go right behind Breweries past Iponri and to Iddo and then out. This is important because when we are seeking to understand what we are doing today or why we are where we are today, we must ask ourselves what we did yesterday”, he said, adding, “It is an important question. Those who don’t want to hear about yesterday have a problem because they won’t understand today”.
According to the minister, “There is an appreciation of what is left undone which is what we had done yesterday. Clearly, they have come to haunt us. The analogy is when you go to a doctor to complain of stomach upset, the first question he will ask you is ‘what did you eat yesterday’ and that is where the treatment starts. If he does not get the right diagnosis that means you must go for a scan. If he discovers an intestinal obstruction that means you are going for surgery.
“So, what we did yesterday is important in understanding what we must do today. Across the sectors and in all the places where we should have built, contractors were not paid for two to three years. We were coordinating and managing the economy and making budgets”, he said.
The minister, who said government was going through detailed scope of what needs to be done on the bridge, pointed out that what was being done at the moment was a temporary intervention adding, “That is why it is limited traffic that can pass here. We don’t want an accident here; we don’t want a disaster here while we are re-scoping the engineering work that needs to be done”.
Pointing out that the expansion joints on the bridge have not been changed for a long time, Fashola explained further, “So, that is what we are trying to see how we can change all that” adding that all the light fittings that came with the bridge which had all gone would be brought back to improve the security of the area and also the commuter experience.
“We are waiting for the final details and hoping that we would have it in good enough time so that we can then make appropriation for it in the next budget for them to start the work in full speed next year”, the minister said, adding that efforts were also being made to get the structural drawing to enable the contractors know how to proceed.
The minister, who said the contractor that built the bridge could not be reached, explained that the present contractors would need the drawing to know all the parts and joints where they need to change adding,
“As soon as we get the drawings there is nothing that cannot be done. But I don’t think that is what should delay us. I am sure the contractors want to start work in full swing”.
He, however, blamed the present economic recession on the profligacy of the previous administrations.
Fashola declared, “So, that is what we did yesterday; so when you hear recession, workers were laid off, they were not paid and they couldn’t pay school fees. While we were buying and selling, contractors were staying at home. So, what you see now is a result of what we ate yesterday. So, we must just change that diet and fund contractors”.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sued the Federal Government at the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice over alleged diversion, irregular expenditure and failure to account for N78.8bn allocated to cash-transfer and social-protection programmes.
SERAP, in a statement released by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, yesterday, said the allegations involved the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, the National Cash Transfer Office and the National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office.
The allegations were documented in the Auditor-General of the Federation’s 2024 Annual Report, published on August 7, 2026.
According to the report, the findings covered various periods between January 2023 and December 31, 2024.
In the suit, marked ECW/CCJ/APP/42/26 and filed last week, SERAP is seeking a declaration that the government’s failure to account for the funds violates Nigeria’s international human rights obligations.
The organisation is also asking the court to order the government to provide a comprehensive account of the questioned funds, investigate the alleged irregularities, recover any money improperly spent or diverted where established, and strengthen financial oversight of social-protection programmes.
SERAP argued that the alleged financial irregularities could undermine the rights of vulnerable Nigerians to social security and an adequate standard of living, including access to food, clothing and housing.
The statement party read, “The funds were intended to benefit over 3.2 million households across 35 states, whose access to financial assistance has been affected by the allegations made by the Auditor-General.”
The suit, filed by SERAP’s lawyers, Kolawole Oluwadare and Kehinde Oyewumi, stated that the government’s failure to investigate the allegations and recover any improperly spent funds violated its obligations to protect vulnerable households.
“The failure to investigate the N78.8 billion cash-transfer scandal, account for the questioned funds and recover any unlawfully spent amounts violates Nigeria’s obligations to protect the human rights of vulnerable households,” the suit partly read.
The organisation said it instituted the case to protect affected households and ensure accountability for public funds allocated for their benefit.
“SERAP brings this public-interest case to protect the interests of affected households and ensure accountability for public funds allocated for their benefit,” it stated.
The organisation maintained that cash-transfer programmes could help address extreme poverty and enable vulnerable people to meet their basic needs, but argued that the government had a duty to ensure the funds were properly managed.
“The right to social security cannot be effectively realised merely by establishing a formal cash-transfer programme where the State fails to maintain reasonable systems for identifying beneficiaries, maintaining records, reconciling disbursements, monitoring expenditure, investigating irregularities and remedying losses,” the statement further stated.
According to SERAP, the Auditor-General questioned approximately N33.751bn reportedly transferred to more than 3.2 million households across 35 states in 2023, noting that adequate records to verify the payments and reconcile beneficiary records were not provided.
The report also identified N36.744bn in payments allegedly made without prepayment audits, N4.616bn in unsupported expenditures, N350.182m for enrolment, N89.511m for store purchases and N17.422m in diesel advances.
SERAP said the suit was brought under Article 9(4) of the ECOWAS Court Protocol to protect affected households and ensure accountability for public funds intended for social protection.
“The issue is whether the government has discharged its obligations under applicable human-rights treaties to safeguard resources allocated for social protection, investigate documented financial irregularities, provide effective remedies and ensure that those resources are applied for their intended purposes,” it stated.
The organisation also cited the constitutional responsibility of the Auditor-General to audit and report on the public accounts of the Federation and the offices and agencies of the Federal Government, describing the findings in the annual report as important official records of public expenditure.
It relied on Articles 1 and 2 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, arguing that the government had obligations to give effect to protected rights and ensure that failures in administering social-protection programmes did not result in discriminatory exclusion or unequal access to benefits.
“The Nigerian government has the obligation to take effective measures to prevent and address corruption and related misuse of public resources. The government has failed to take appropriate measures in response to the allegations made by the Auditor-General”, the statement added.
SERAP said it had previously urged President Bola Tinubu and relevant authorities to account for the questioned funds, publish audit records, investigate irregular expenditures, recover any funds unlawfully spent or diverted and take appropriate action against those responsible.
Following the publication of the Auditor-General’s report, the organisation issued a public statement and sent a letter dated September 5, 2026, requesting action on the findings. It also sought payment and beneficiary records, verification documents and an explanation for the missing REMITA records.
“The deadline given to the government to address the Auditor-General’s findings had elapsed without adequate action,” it stated.
The organisation further cited Articles 1 and 21 of the African Charter, alongside Article 9 of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, as requiring effective measures to protect rights and resources, promote transparent public financial management, investigate irregularities and recover public funds where losses or improper expenditure were established.
SERAP also relied on the works of legal scholar Kolawole Olaniyan, including Corruption and Human Rights Law in Africa, published by Hart Publishing in 2014, and Ownership of Proceeds of Corruption in International Law, published by Oxford University Press in 2023. It said the publications provided persuasive academic authority on corruption’s effects on human rights, public resources, accountability and international legal remedies.
“SERAP accordingly submits that the Auditor-General’s findings cannot be treated merely as administrative irregularities where public funds allocated for social protection may have been lost, improperly spent or left unaccounted for, and the government fails to take effective corrective action,” the statement added.
SERAP is asking the court to direct the government to conduct an independent, prompt and effective investigation into the identified irregularities, recover public funds improperly spent, diverted or lost where established, and take appropriate legal or administrative action against those found responsible, in accordance with due process.
It also wants the government to strengthen financial accountability, beneficiary verification, auditing, reconciliation and oversight mechanisms to prevent a recurrence of the alleged irregularities and ensure that eligible vulnerable households receive their intended benefits.
The organisation is further seeking an order restraining the government from administering or disbursing cash-transfer and social-protection funds without adequate accountability and oversight mechanisms, as well as appropriate remedies for any established adverse effects on beneficiaries’ protected rights.
No date has, however, been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
The Federal Government has released N38.93bn to 166 public tertiary institutions nationwide under the Needs Assessment Revitalisation Fund to address infrastructure deficits and improve teaching and learning facilities.
The intervention covers 79 universities, 46 polytechnics and 41 colleges of education, with universities receiving the largest share of the allocation.
The Federal Ministry of Finance disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday by its Head of Media, Efe Ovuakporie, explaining that the funds would support approved projects in beneficiary institutions.
The statement read, “The Federal Government has disbursed N38.93bn to 166 public tertiary institutions nationwide under the Needs Assessment Revitalisation Fund.”
According to the ministry, the university component accounts for N28.5bn, while N5.8bn has been allocated to polytechnics and N4.7bn to colleges of education.
According to the ministry, the university component accounts for N28.5bn, while N5.8bn has been allocated to polytechnics and N4.7bn to colleges of education.
An analysis of the allocations by PUNCH Online showed that universities would receive approximately 73.2 per cent of the announced N38.93bn intervention, making them the largest beneficiaries.
Polytechnics would account for about 14.9 per cent, while colleges of education would receive approximately 12.1 per cent.
The ministry explained that the intervention was intended to address longstanding infrastructure challenges in public tertiary institutions and support the implementation of agreements reached between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities.
It stated, “The intervention forms part of the Federal Government’s efforts to address the needs of public universities and support the implementation of agreed measures under the Memorandum of Understanding between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities.”
The Needs Assessment Revitalisation Fund is designed to support improvements in institutional infrastructure and other identified needs, particularly in public universities, where inadequate facilities have remained a recurring concern in negotiations between the government and academic unions.
The ministry said the latest disbursement would enable beneficiary institutions to begin new projects or continue previously approved interventions aimed at improving their operational capacity.
“The funds are expected to enable beneficiary institutions to commence or advance approved projects addressing critical infrastructure and other identified institutional needs, with the overall objective of strengthening the quality of tertiary education in Nigeria,” it added.
The government also emphasised the need for coordination among the Federal Ministry of Finance, Federal Ministry of Education and beneficiary institutions to ensure that the released funds produced measurable improvements.
It noted that effective collaboration would be necessary to translate the financial intervention into improved infrastructure, institutional capacity and learning conditions.
The bill to approve the establishment of the Federal University of Agriculture, Emughan, Abua-Odual Local Government Area of Rivers State has passed third reading.
The Bill, titled “A Bill for an Act to Amend the Federal Universities of Agriculture Act, Cap. F22, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2024” was sponsored by Senator Ipalibo Harry Banigo representing Rivers West Senatorial District.
The bill seeks to amend the existing Federal Universities of Agriculture Act to provide for the establishment of the proposed institution in Emughan community in Rivers State.
The passage of the bill by the Senate marks a significant legislative milestone towards the establishment of the proposed university.
When established, the institution is expected to expand access to higher education, promote agricultural research and innovation, develop skilled manpower, and contribute to the economic growth of Rivers State and Nigeria at large.
According to a statement made available to The Tide, the bill, having passed the Third Reading in the Senate, will now proceed to the House of Representatives for concurrence as part of the legislative process towards its enactment into law.
The bill underscores Senator Banigo’s commitment to advancing educational opportunities and strengthening agricultural development in Rivers State.
By: Kevin Nengia
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