...Gov Calls For Private Sector
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Lagos State Government has formally
kicked off commercial waterways transportation, with the official launch of
eight newly acquired speed boats by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Tuesday.
Sanwo-Olu unveiled the speed boats,
which will be operated by the Lagos Ferry Services (LAGFERRY), at a ceremony
held at Badore Ferry Terminal in Eti-Osa Local Government Area.
The event marked the commencement of
commercial operations in waterways transportation by LAGFERRY. The Governor
also launched a mobile application designed to facilitate easy access to the
water transportation services.
Sanwo-Olu said the intervention
represented a “great leap” in his administration’s strategy to deliver an
effective and integrated inter-modal transportation system in addressing the
perennial issue of traffic congestion on the roads.
He said: “The narrative of
transportation in Lagos is about to change for good, as we are set to take full
advantage of the water bodies to decongest our roads and substantially reduce
travel time for commuters.
“Today, we are launching eight units
of additional ferries to complement the existing six ferries in the fleet of
Lagos Ferry Service. It is glaring that for Lagos to be a functional smart city
that we desire, there must be diversification of the mode of transportation.
There must be interconnectivity of the rail, road and water transportation
systems.”
The design and fabrication of the new
boats were totally worked out by two local boats manufacturers in line with
Sanwo-Olu’s promise to exploring local capacity in providing solutions to
various challenges.
The Governor observed that the
commencement of commercial operations on waterways would promote a healthy
living and restore aesthetics of environment through reduction of carbon
emission.
He charged private investors to move
in and harness opportunities in the value chain, noting that the Government had
solved the teething problems associated with the mode of transportation and
infrastructure.
“We are fully committed to increase
investment in the development of more routes on the waterways. To consolidate
on infrastructure we have provided on the waterways, we will embark on the
construction of more jetties and provision of more modern ferry boats to create
opportunities for more private sector participation in water transportation,”
Sanwo-Olu said.
The Governor said the State would
drive full compliance on measures put in place to ensure the safety of
commuters using the waterways, adding that the Lagos State Waterways Authority
(LASWA) was being strengthened to effectively discharge its monitoring and
regulatory duties in line with best practice.
He said: “We are going to spread the
efficiency of the LAGFERRY services to meet the demand of the people at various
times of the day. Before the end of the year, we will double the capacity in
the LAGFERRY’s fleet from 14 to 30 boats. This is to enable the agency
discharge its mandate to ease the movement of Lagosians from various parts of
the city to another through the waterways.”
Sanwo-Olu promised that modern
jetties would also be built in Badagry, Lekki, and Ajegunle, pledging that the
one being built in Ijegun would be completed.
Chief Executive Officer of LAGFERRY,
Hon. Abdulbaq Balogun said the launching charted a new course for water
transportation in the State.
The agency, Balogun said, remained
fully committed to exploring the capacity of waterways to strengthen mass
transportation in line with transportation blueprint of the Sanwo-Olu
administration.
With over 30 jetties across the
State, the LAGFERRY boss said Lagos had provided infrastructure to boost water
transportation, adding that the commencement of commercial operations by the
agency would reduce persistent gridlock on the highways.
He said: “With our global water
transportation licence, LAGFERRY will operate on all the waterways routes in
Lagos, starting gradually according to the available capacity. We will be
deploying all our 14 available ferries to cover the three senatorial zones
immediately.
“Our well developed and properly
coordinated water transportation is also helping in haulage across the State,
moving trucks, containers and goods, thereby relieving the roads of heavy duty
trucks which contribute in no small measure to failure of roads.”
Before the fourth quarter of the
year, Balogun said LAGFERRY would extend its services to all 40 water routes
licenced for Lagos.
Also, Commissioner for Transport, Dr.
Frederic Oladehinde, described the event as another giant stride in Transport
Sector Reform embarked on by the Sanwo-Olu administration, saying the standard
of the boats would meet the transportation need of residents in an emerging
Smart City.
Oladehinde announced the six routes
of LAGFERRY’s operations, which include Ikorodu to Falomo; Ikorodu to Ebute Ero
and Marina; Ebute Ojo to Ijegun Egba, Apapa and Marina; Bayeku to Oke Ira Nla
and Falomo; Mile 2 to Marina, and Badore to Ijede.
Three of the boats deployed for
operations by LAGFERRY have the capacity to carry 60 passengers, two were built
to carry 50 passengers, while another two had capacities of 40 passengers.
Also, three of the boats will carry 30 passengers, four will carry 25
passengers and two will carry 25 passengers.
All the boats are built with
comfortable seats, in-built Wi-Fi and modern technological devices that will
aid smooth operations and safety.