Segun James
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has declared that the commencement of the Lagos ferry service, which will ultimately move over 480,000 passengers, will ease the pressure on the roads.
Speaking at the commercial launch of LAGFERRY operations and the inauguration of 14 commercial boats at Badore Ferry Terminal in Ajah, the governor assured the people of the state that before the end of the year, the ferry boats would be increased to 30 while more than 500 buses would be injected into the state bus transport system to ease transportation problems.
Sanwo-Olu said the launch was in fulfillment of his administration promise to provide effective and integrated intermodal transportation system for the state, adding that “water transportation is one of the intermodal transportation tripods we are committed to developing as a strategy to reduce congestion on our roads which accounts for over 90 percent of commuting in Lagos State.”
“The narrative of water transportation in the state is set to change as we are set to take full advantage of the water bodies that nature has endowed us with to decongest our roads and substantially reduce travel time as well as promote a healthy environment through the reduction of carbon emission.”
He said for Lagos to be a functional smart city, there must be diversification of the modes of transportation. “There must be interconnectivity of the rail, road and water transportation systems,” he added.
At the inauguration of the ferry service, Sanwo-Olu disclosed that all the boats were constructed by companies in Lagos. “Our local builders came with state-of-the-art technology you can find anywhere else in the world. “
“We are proud of this feat, and I am using this medium to once again assure our local builders of patronage and for them to continue to maintain an international best standard.
“Let me emphasise that intermodal transportation is the way to go given our natural endowment, increasing population and the need to ensure efficient movement of materials, goods, services and people. By the time the Lagos light rail project comes alive and expanded, coupled with renewed efforts to improve water transportation in addition to numerous on-going roads development projects across the state, it is expected that a more robust public transportation would evolve in Lagos State and Lagosians would be the better for it,” Sanwo-Olu stated.
He noted that adequate measures have been put in place to ensure safety on the waterways through the empowerment of the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) to effectively discharge its monitoring and regulatory duties.
“In the same vein, we will also sustain a cordial relationship with federal regulatory agencies, including Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA),” he added.
In his welcome address earlier, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of LAGFERRY, Mr. Ladi Balogun, said the launch would set the next frontier for Lagos economy and chart a new course for water transportation in the state.
He stressed that Lagos is blessed with at least ten Lagoons and that the government is fully committed to harnessing the role these Lagoons play, which is capable of managing the traffic and transportation system in the state, and incidentally, is the first pillar of the governor’s development agenda for the state.
