Abstract Nigeria is the most populous and heterogeneous country in Africa. This diversity has offered her the advantage of a diversified economic resource base, and aided by the post‐1973 booming oil economy, this has exercised strong transport demand. The response to the transport demand for infrastructural facilities and services is clearly shown by the commitment of over 20% of total public capital expenditure to the transport development programmes embarked upon between 1960 and 1980. Furthermore, changes in the evolving transport development objectives and strategies have partly been reflected in changes in the pattern of intermodal‐mix of resources committed to the transport sector, and the differential intensity of modal utilization. Physical achievements and problems accompanying these development efforts are summarized in the review of the growth and trends (1960–80) of the transport network, facilities and services in road, railway, air, inland waterways and pipelines for internal transport; and in ports, external aviation and maritime for external transport. Efficient utilization, effective management and maintenance of facilities so far created, consolidation of the past development efforts, and transport coordination are identified as critical transport problems requiring immediate remedial policy prescriptions. The paper ends with speculation on future transport development. Overall, a rather thematic approach which gives stronger emphasis to internal transport and which is subsequently related to the problems and policy issues associated with transport coordination, control and management, is adopted in the paper.