In an ideal world, this domestic petrol shortage would lead to all sorts of innovations in the Nigerian transportation sector

Ayo Akinfe

[1] Nigeria spends $3.7bn a year as a petrol subsidy. Now if we invested that amount of money into an electric rail network, over a 10 year period, we would have one of the most sophisticated railway structures in the world

[2] With the current fuel scarcity, it is time to look for a permanent solution to this over-dependence on petrol and diesel. The status quo is simply not sustainable and it is time to start thinking outside the box

[3] For starters, why have we not come up with a national transport policy that involves moving up to 50% of the current road traffic on to rail by 2030?

[4] Have we announced a National Cycling Plan that involves the widespread construction of bicycle lanes nationwide and the offering of financial incentives to cyclists?

[5] Do you know that the town Raleigh in England became popular because of its bicycles? Obviously the flagship was the famous Chopper. I look forward to one Nigerian town following suit and becoming the global bicycle manufacturing capital at the instigation of the state governor

[6] We should be so innovative that our research and development should lead us to thinking the unthinkable. Why not start manufacturing double decker bicycles for instance?

[7] Also, by my calculations, Nigeria is the world's fifth largest user of motorcycles behind India, Vietnam, Indonesia and China. Why have we not come up with the concept of the electronic motorcycle?

[8] According to Nigeria's National Motorcycle and Tricycle Riders Association, there are 8m Okadas in use across the country. I put Okadas or commercial motorcycles at half of the total number used in Nigeria, meaning that the total number of motorcycles in operation across the country add up to about 15m. There is no reason for Nigeria not to have the Electric Okada Manufacturing Company that churns out millions of motorcycles daily

[9] Within Nigeria, just think of all those farmers who cannot get to their farms in the rainy season. Electric motorcycles should be their favourite mode of transport. Across West Africa too, Nigerian manufactured electric Okadas should be a must-have given the poor road networks in most of these countries

[10] As a people, are we not tired of being perennial consumers? Surely there is something wrong with us that we are content to be born-importers, only exporting raw primary products like crude oil and cash crops. We need to draw the line in the sand and say that as from today, anything we purchase, we give ourselves five years to manufacture it. Anything we cannot manufacture, then let us do without it until we can. Something radical needs to be done to change our mindset!

Ayoakinfe@gmail.com