By Folarin Kehinde

The Federal Government has said it will deploy 250 solar-powered smart gantries across the country as part of efforts to establish a Smart National Transport Databank aimed at improving transportation planning, road safety, security and infrastructure development.

The disclosure was made on Monday during the signing of a concession agreement between the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT) and Asia Arab Investment (AAI) Nigeria Limited for the implementation of the Smart National Transport Databank project in Abuja.

Representing the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, the Director of Legal Services, Olusegun Omotola, said the project was recently approved by the Federal Executive Council after extensive technical, financial and regulatory assessments.

He explained that the initiative would establish a comprehensive digital transport intelligence platform for collecting, processing, analysing and disseminating transport and mobility data nationwide.

According to him, the project will be implemented through a Public-Private Partnership arrangement using the Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Transfer model, with Asia Arab Investment Nigeria Limited serving as the concessionaire.

Omotola said, “Key project components include the deployment of 250 solar-powered smart gantries at strategic locations nationwide, the establishment of traffic management centres in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, the development of a central national data centre, and the deployment of RFID-enabled smart e-tag technology for vehicle identification and monitoring.”

He noted that the project would strengthen evidence-based policymaking, improve traffic management, enhance road safety, reduce revenue leakages and support national security objectives.

Speaking at the event, the Director-General of NITT, Dr Bayero Farah, described the project as a major step towards building a modern and data-driven transport system in Nigeria.

Farah said the Smart National Transport Databank would provide a unified platform for transport and mobility data across the country, addressing years of fragmented data systems that have hindered effective planning and coordination in the sector.

“The project is not merely an ICT initiative. It is a national transport intelligence infrastructure designed to provide Nigeria with a single integrated real-time source of transport and mobility data,” he said.

He explained that the project would deploy intelligent transport technologies, automated vehicle identification systems, traffic management centres and a central transport data centre to support decision-making and transport sector reforms.

According to him, the pilot phase of the project will cover Kaduna, Lagos, Nasarawa, Borno, Enugu and Edo states, as well as the Federal Capital Territory.

Also speaking, former Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Boboye Oyeyemi, described the initiative as one of the most ambitious transport technology projects in Nigeria’s history.

He said the platform would integrate real-time data from road, rail, aviation, maritime, inland waterways, pipeline and logistics systems into a single national framework.

“The Smart National Transport Databank is Nigeria’s first fully integrated, multimodal, real-time national transport intelligence platform. This is a major step towards intelligent transport governance and evidence-based policymaking,” Oyeyemi said.

Meanwhile, the Director-General of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, (ICRC) Dr Jobson Ewalefoh, urged stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the project.

He noted that the commission had continued to streamline regulatory processes to attract and accelerate Public-Private Partnership investments aimed at closing Nigeria’s infrastructure gap.