Renowned Professor of Logistic and Transport Management, Adebambo Olayinka Somuyiwa, has lamented that Nigeria is far from optimizing her potentials in export earnings, in spite of the avalanche of abundant resources available and embedded in the transport sector of the country.
Somuyiwa, the first Professor of Logistics and Transport Management in Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, Ogbomoso, decried the prevailing decadence in the country’s transport sphere, while delivering the 57th Inaugural Lecture of LAUTECH, Ogbomoso,
titled: ‘Transport Morphology: The Apotheosis of Logistics Management for National Development,’ held at the institution’s Great Hall.
Irked by the stunted growth of transportation system in the country, Somuyiwa, while dissecting the thematic concern of the lecture lamented that government and other relevant stakeholders are yet to optimize the abundant resources in the sector to drive the nation’s economy and Africa at large, unlike their foreign counterparts.
The inaugural lecturer, who is the pioneer acting Head of Department of Transport Management, pointed out that for instance, Africa and Nigeria in particular, is far from harnessing and developing her transport sector to an enviable height of earning foreign currencies for overall development.
He averred, “It is regrettable that Nigeria and/or indeed Africa is yet to optimize her potential in export earnings in spite of avalanche of of resources available in the region.”
Prof. Somuyiwa noted that had it being that Nigeria and Africa had over the years optimized the benefit of their transport sector, they would have been able to use it to control her economy, noting with dismay that the nation’s inability to do so is largely responsible for the prevailing economic downturn therein.
The Ijegba-born university don emphasized that failure on the part of government and other stakeholders in general to use the transportation sector to regulate and control the economy is largely responsible for the hike in the pump prices of fuel, which is extremely having reverberating effects right now on the national life of the citizenry.
He enthused, “Economy can be and should be controlled with transport as its operating cost can cause inflation or reverse of it.”
He added, “For instance, increase in price of fuel can lead to increase in cost of all factors of production which is just one major component in transport operating costs.”
Speaking further, the former acting Manager, LAUTECH Mass Transit identified the challenges of inadequate transport infrastructure, inadequate regulatory transport framework, environmental hazard and limited alternatives to vehicular transportation, among others, as the bane of the development of the sector.
Prof. Somuyiwa further noted with dismay that “the import of this is that the Nigeria transport system has not been able to harness, explore and exploit the morphology of the environment to potentiate various modes of transport and ultimately develop transport systems in harmonious manner for effective and efficient logistics management.”
Narrowing the challenges down to the peculiarity of the South-South region of the country, where Somuyiwa on December 4, 2023, had a close shave with death during a troubled voyage on the high sea, while on NUC accreditation exercise in Gbaramatu kingdom, he stated, “For instance, in the South-South geo-political zone of the country, water transport is yet to be well developed to complement other modes of transport, especially to have access to islands and creeks, in order to enhance interaction and foster considerable level of development.”
He lamented further, “It is sad to observe that inland water transport is being operated like road-based mode of transportation, where it is unregulated, uncontrolled and characterized with multiple agencies or numerous operators.
“This goes to say that mishaps are not peculiar to water transport only. It happens in virtually all modes of travel. Surprisingly, this negates Transport Policy Initiatives, Policy Thrust and Goal of various transport statements, 1965, Draft Policy, 2003 and 2008.
Proffering solution to challenges in the transport system of the country and Africa at large, the former Deputy Dean, Faculty of Management Sciences, LAUTECH recommended meaningful infrastructural development of the transport sector.
Others recommendations are provision of efficient and effective public transportation system, sustainable traffic management, enhancement of road safety measures and logically implementable and socially acceptable comprehensive transportation plans, among others.
The 57th Inaugural Lecture will go down in the annals of history of LAUTECH as the fourth from the Faculty of Management Sciences and the second from the Department of Transport Management.
Prof. Somuyiwa’s intimidating clout attracted relations, mentors, associates, mentees, especially from the nation’s ivory towers to the lecture.
Prof. Somuyiwa’s mastery of the theme of the lecture, coupled with fluent delivery and intermittent interjections of gesticulations that are deeply rooted in infectious composure earned him rounds of applause from his mentor and former Vice-Chancellor of Tai Solarin University of Education, TASUED, Ijebu-Ode, Prof. Kayode Oyesiku and the audience at large.
Prof Somuyiwa, who began his academic career as a Teaching Assistant at Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, in 1997 was accompanied to the lecture by members of his immediate family, academic and non-teaching staff therein who came to solidarise with him.
