FG inaugurates committee to centralise transport data system

The Federal Ministry of Transportation has inaugurated the Project Implementation Committee for the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Project, to establish a centralised, interoperable and real-time transport data system for Nigeria.

The development was followed by the recent approval of the Smart National Transport Databank (SNTDB), a digital transport intelligence platform for Nigeria by the Federal Executive Council and spearheaded by the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT).

The Committee was inaugurated by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Mr Funsho Adebiyi, recently in Abuja.

Adebiyi noted that the initiative is aimed at addressing the longstanding gaps in transport data collection, coordination and accessibility, while strengthening evidence-based planning and investment across the sector.

He recalled that the SNTDB was approved at the 12th National Council on Transportation in 2012, with the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT) mandated to establish the databank under the Ministry’s supervision.

He further disclosed that the project has received Federal Executive Council approval for implementation under a 20-year Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Transfer (DBFOT) PPP concession to Asia-Arab Investment Nigeria Limited.

The newly inaugurated Committee, chaired by the Permanent Secretary, comprises representatives of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, NITT, Federal Road Safety Corps, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, Federal Ministry of Works, Office of the National Security Adviser and the Concessionaire, among others.

Its mandate includes overseeing implementation of the project in line with the Concession Agreement, approved Full Business Case and applicable laws; monitoring milestones and performance; coordinating participating MDAs; managing implementation challenges and risks; ensuring financial and governance accountability; and submitting periodic progress reports.

In a project briefing, the Director-General/Chief Executive of NITT, Dr. Bayero Salih Farah, FCILT, described the SNTDB as a national transport intelligence infrastructure designed to support planning, regulation, safety, security, infrastructure development and evidence-based decision-making.

He outlined key components of the project, including at least 250 solar-powered intelligent gantries equipped with RFID and ANPR technologies, Traffic Management Centres in the 36 States and the FCT.

Others are Main Data Centre, an Electronic Tagging (E-Tag) ecosystem, database integration, real-time analytics and cybersecurity systems, to be implemented in phases.