This question was not popular among the candidates. The (a) aspect of the question was misinterpreted by some of the candidates who answered the question as they wrote on the economic factors that hindered the development of railway transport system in Nigeria. The expected answer to the (a) component of the question included:
- rugged terrain: some terrain are rough as they undulate thereby
make construction of railway difficult
- steep slopes: where the gradient is steep, it is difficult for trains to climb;
- soil/landslides: the land in some areas are liable to falling thereby blocking the railway;
- presence of many rivers: on terrains where rivers are numerous, the cost of constructing railways is high;
- swamps: Some areas are swampy which makes the cost of constructing railway across such swamps very exorbitant;
- flooding: during the rainy season, some of the areas are flooded. This limits transportation by railways.
The ways in which transportation contributes to the development of
Nigeria was properly attempted by most of the candidates who answered
the question. |