Capital Projects: Lagos State Governor Seeks Federal Funding
Sanwo-Olu made the appeal during a courtesy visit by the Federal House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee on Mass Transit Scheme, led by its chairman, Mr Victor Ogeme, on Monday in Lagos, South-west Nigeria.
Sanwo-Olu who was represented by his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, said the state had achieved so much in the transportation sector.
“With the population in Lagos, government is charged with the responsibility to make life easier for the people,” said the deputy governor.
The governor, however, called for the assistance of the federal government in terms of funding the state’s projects.
According to him, these projects will contribute immensely to the country’s Gross Domestic Product, thereby leading to progress and development.
“Funding is necessary for governance, likewise, it helps in making the work easy and effective.
“The state needs the assistance of the federal government to enable it run effectively, especially in capital projects.
“If the big cities were not taken care of, there would be no progress recorded in the country,” he noted.
Highlighting some of the capital projects undertaken by the state government, Sanwo-Olu said that the government took up the blue rail line due to the large population in the state.
“The state is the first to take up such, as no other sub-sovereign anywhere in the world has run rail without the federal government’s interventions.
“Also, it will be difficult to run a city like Lagos without mass transit.
“The government can not have a city that is 0.4 per cent of the land mass of the country but hosts 11 per cent of the population; it will be chaotic.
“The first phase of the 27km blue rail project has just been completed running from Marina to Okokomaiko.
“The 14km of the second phase has been awarded and will be commencing soon,” the governor explained.
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He stated that the blue rail transports about 150,000 people daily, adding that upon its completion, it is estimated to transport between 480,000 to 500,000 people daily.
“The execution of the blue line took a long time because of its financial implications.
“At the commencement of the red line operation, it is expected to convey one million people of Lagos daily to their various destinations,” he noted.
Water Transportation
On water transportation, he said that the government had increased the operation of its Lagferry operations, with the purchase of more ferries.
The governor explained that the intermodal mass transit scheme on land, rail and water helped convey a large population around the state, with prices regulated by the government.
Earlier in his remarks, the ad hoc committee chairman stated that the committee was charged with the Mass Transit Scheme by looking into the failure of the schemes to proffer solutions.
Ogeme said the committee deemed it fit to visit Lagos in order to see the running of the state mass transit scheme, especially with the fuel subsidy removal.
The chairman commended the state government for most of the infrastructures put up in the state, adding that they were worthy of emulation by the component states across the country.
NAN
