The Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria has formally endorsed President Bola Tinubu for a second term and called for the creation of a dedicated transport bank to support operators across the country’s vast mobility sector.

In a communiqué signed by its National President, Musa Maitakobi, the association said the decision followed extensive consultations across its units, chapels, state councils, zonal offices and national leadership. The union said it had reviewed the administration’s policies and concluded that ongoing reforms were repositioning transportation as a central driver of economic growth.

Maitakobi argued that the sector can no longer rely on conventional commercial lending, insisting that a specialised Bank of Transport is needed, similar to the Bank of Industry and Bank of Agriculture. Such an institution, he said, would provide affordable credit for fleet renewal, infrastructure upgrades, safety initiatives and expansion of services on land, sea and air.

According to the communiqué, a dedicated financial institution would also be better equipped to understand the peculiar risks and long-term investment cycles in transport, enabling operators to modernise their fleets, improve compliance with safety regulations and deepen connectivity between cities and rural communities.

The association praised what it described as a more structured and coordinated approach to transport policy under the current administration, highlighting increased emphasis on planning, accountability and institutional reforms. It said these priorities align with RTEAN’s own nationwide organisational framework and its push for a more formalised, data-driven transport system.

RTEAN maintained that continuity in leadership is essential to consolidate reforms, complete major road and corridor projects and safeguard investments already made by both government and private operators. It urged its members across the federation to begin mobilisation in support of Tinubu’s re-election bid, framing policy consistency as critical to long-term sector stability.

The union also welcomed the growing adoption of Compressed Natural Gas as an alternative fuel, noting that more vehicles are now queuing at CNG stations. It said the shift is cutting operating costs for transporters while supporting cleaner energy use and reducing exposure to petrol price volatility.

RTEAN concluded that when transport systems function efficiently, productivity rises, trade expands and citizens’ welfare improves, adding that Nigeria can no longer afford what it called a politics of improvisation in such a strategic sector.