1 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.0 Background of The Study One of man’s needs since creation has been that of mobility. This need brought about a systematic progress from paths to roads, from streams and rivers to the ocean, from the rails to the sky. This is known as transportation. In any socio-economic system, transport development is one of the indispensible catalysts for activating and stimulating the tempo of economic, social, political and strategic development. The development of an efficient, flexible and dynamic transport system is therefore very vital for meaningful socio-economic development and for binding the various components of any society. It contributes significantly to the value and utility of goods and services by moving them from where they are produced to where they are needed. In a socio-political context, transport provides part of the instrument for enhancing human interaction, blending of cultures and tradition as well as integration of socio-political entities. In view of the foregoing, it is incumbent on every country to use her available resources to develop a functional, appropriate and reliable transport system. Nigeria, having a total land area of 923,772km 2 and with more than 10,000km of navigable waterways and a reasonable long coastline, is therefore a good terrain for development of urban, intra-urban and inter-urban roads, motorways and a good network of railway tracks is in a position to harness the potentials of all known modes of transportation via, road, rail, water, pipe and air.