Tiv entrepreneurs in road transport business: engaging the patterns and trends, 1960’s-2015

Abstract

ABSTRACT The paper examines the evolution and development of the road transport business in Tivland from the 1960s to 2015. Tivland is located in Benue State, central-Nigeria. The contention is that the advent of British colonial rule led to the construction and expansion of footpaths into motorable roads in Tivland. Tiv entrepreneurs took this advantage by engaging in the transport business. Therefore, transport entrepreneurship was a watershed in the economic development of Tivland. The paper made use of both primary and secondary data, and its approach is descriptive, narrative, and analytic. The paper finds out that the road transport business has contributed to the socio-economic development of Tivland. However, the transport business among the Tiv was beleaguered with some daunting challenges: bad roads, lack of finance, lack of loan facility, mismanagement, stiff competition from outsiders, lack of insurance cover, and extortion of drivers by security personnel. As a way out of these challenges, the study suggests that roads should be repaired and new ones open up to reach areas of production in Tivland. There is also a need to make loan facilities available to aspiring Tiv entrepreneurs to support their businesses.