Federal Govt Eyes Stiffer Penalties For Transport Infrastructure Vandalism To Strengthen Intermodal System

…As Senate backs proper institutional oversight of railway projects

The permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Engr. Olufunso Adebiyi has reiterated the federal government’s commitment to ensuring that Nigerians enjoy a seamless, safe and efficient intermodal transportation system, stressing the need to tackle the vandalism of critical transport infrastructure across the country.

Adebiyi stated this on the third day of the 19th National Council on Transportation (NCT), themed, “Developing an Effective Transportation System for Nigeria: The Role of Intermodal Transportation,” held in Abuja.

The permanent secretary noted, in a statement by assistant director, ministry of transportation, Gift Osima Seddon, that the Council would recommend stiffer penalties for the vandalism of transportation infrastructure, stressing that the criminal act had resulted in loss of lives, destruction of public assets and life-altering injuries to many Nigerians.

The permanent secretary further emphasised the importance of transparent public-private partnerships, robust transportation funding mechanisms and innovative asset-recycling models, noting that these measures would help accelerate the development, rehabilitation and sustainable management of transportation infrastructure across the country.

Meanwhile, the chairman, Senate Committee on Land Transportation, Senator Adamu Aliero has affirmed that federal infrastructure projects must be handled by their designated sector ministries to ensure proper oversight, accountability and protection of the public interest.

Aliero commended Adebiyi for taking proactive steps to address an administrative anomaly involving the award of a railway construction contract to the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI) without the requisite technical input from the Federal Ministry of Transportation.

He emphasised that while MOFI has an important role as a financing and investment vehicle, the technical aspects of railway infrastructure development—including construction, supervision and sectoral coordination—fall within the statutory mandate of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, which possesses the requisite institutional knowledge and technical expertise in the sector.

Senator Aliero also commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his intervention through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) to address the matter and restore the appropriate institutional responsibility for the project.

Reaffirming the position of the legislature, Senator Aliero stated that the National Assembly would not support arrangements that sideline core statutory ministries in favour of entities without the requisite technical mandate and operational capacity to effectively supervise critical national infrastructure projects.

He assured that the National Assembly will continually support the ministry in initiatives aimed at realizing Nigeria’s rail development.