‘Go-slow’: the political economy of urban transport in Nigeria with an emphasis on Ado-Ekiti

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine urban transport issues in Nigeria. These issues hinge on a state-led bias for the private car that negatively affects the transport needs of the majority. Three underrepresented themes in Third World urban transport research are developed: transport in medium-sized cities, and transport from political-economy and gender perspectives. These themes are related to Nigerian cities in general, and to Ado-Ekiti, a rapidly growing administrative and agricultural centre of 150,000 people, in particular. As in many Third World countries, a conventional wisdom has developed in Nigeria, in which urban transport policies and spending measures favour car-owning elites at the expense of the poor. An unconventional approach to urban transport policy, that of the World Bank, is critically assessed. The evaluation of transport in Ado-Ekiti relies upon the author's observations and survey results. High population densities and an efficient housing market help limit the urban sprawl that would seriously exacerbate transport problems, but there are class and gender inequalities in access to and conditions of travel. Ado-Ekiti's women have achieved a measure of economic independence that work outside the home makes possible, but they use less prestigious modes of transport. Additionally, accident rates are very high in Ado-Ekiti and Nigeria, and shrinking vehicle fleets are reducing the use of motorized transport. These and other transport problems in Nigeria generate various forms of popular resistance. A variety of measures can improve transport for the popular classes, but a change from the present practice will not come easily.