The Chartered Institute of Transport Administration of Nigeria (CIOTA) has announced a new regulation seeking to bar non-transport professionals from occupying sensitive leadership positions in the transport sector.

The National President of CIOTA, Prince Segun Ochuko Obayendo, disclosed this on Friday during a press briefing at the Nigerian Railway Corporation headquarters in Lagos.

Obayendo said the regulation, established under the CIOTA Act, would apply across the public and private sectors and would be formally unveiled at the institute’s 8th National Transport Conference in Lagos.

He said the measure would prevent people without professional transport qualifications from heading transport departments, ministries and agencies.

According to him, the regulation derives its authority from Act No. 27 of 2019, which established CIOTA and mandated it to regulate the practice of transportation administration in Nigeria.

Obayendo described the appointment of non-transport professionals to lead transport institutions as inappropriate, arguing that other professions generally require relevant qualifications for leadership positions.

He said the new regulation was also aimed at strengthening professionalism and formalising Nigeria’s largely informal transport sector.

Obayendo said transportation facilitated the movement of goods and services worth N157.8 trillion in 2025, arguing that the sector’s contribution to the economy was not fully reflected in official statistics because significant activities remained informal.

He therefore called on the National Bureau of Statistics to review how the sector’s economic contribution was measured.

The CIOTA president said formalisation was necessary for better integration of road, rail, aviation, maritime and inland waterway transport, adding that professionalism would help improve the efficiency and development of the sector.

The 8th National Transport Conference is scheduled for October 13 and 14 at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, under the theme, “Integrated Multimodal Transport Systems for Sustainable Development of Nigeria.”

The conference will bring together policymakers, transport professionals, investors, academics and operators to discuss multimodal integration, urban mobility, logistics, digital innovation, climate resilience, infrastructure financing and professional capacity development.

CIOTA said its new professional regulation and gazette would be formally unveiled during the conference.