Adapting Colonial Legacy to Modernism: A Focus on Rail Transport Development in Nigeria

Abstract

Colonial interest in Africa was hinged on a principle focused on amassing benefits to the imperial authority. Best efforts were, therefore, engaged to ensure maximum benefits possible. Agriculture and mineral products, required for sustained industrial development, were abundant in Africa. Harmonizing these identified elements, for efficient production, required an equally efficient mode of transport. Rail transport was, therefore, established and developed in Nigeria by the colonial British authority based on its strategic and capacity advantages. In this reasoning, a contemporary model of British railway was established and nurtured to serve colonial transport and logistics interests. Fifty-three years after Nigeria’s independence, her railway system remains part of British (colonial) legacy in transport development history. This paper seeks to examine railway transport development in Nigeria. Both historical and empirical data are used in our analysis. And recommendations are made for sustainable development of the Nigeria railway system.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n6p465