The Lagos State Government has taken delivery of additional 7 new boats equipped with state of the art modern gadgets and built solely by local manufacturers to international standards.
This move is in furtherance to demonstrate its genuine commitment to a multi-modal transport system aimed at tackling traffic gridlocks in the metropolis and meet increasing water commuters demand to open more routes.
Taking delivery of some of the boats at the Ipakodo Terminal, Ikorodu, the Managing Director, Lagos Ferry Services Lagferry , Mr. Abdoulbaq Balogun expressed delight at the safety features and aesthetics of the boats.
Balogun commended the manufacturers for meeting up to global best standards while assuring commuters of a safe, fast and pleasurable experience on the waterways.
“Taking delivery of these boats is a testimony to the commitments by the Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration that his government will continue to enable the growth trajectories of the local economy, thereby creating jobs along the value chain of marine transportation system.
”These new boats will be deployed immediately to take care of the increasing numbers of commuters and we can assure you that Lagosians are in for a bundle of productive experiences in water transportation because the new boats comes equipped with modern technological features and built to international standards,” he said
New jetties
While reiterating the State Government’s commitment to integrative transport system, he stated that ”the government is currently building and renovating 15 new jetties across the coastal lines of the State to open up more routes and informed that some of the new boats will be deployed to the new routes.”
These routes include; Badagry – Liverpool – CMS; Agbara-Ojo- Liverpool – CMS; Agbowa Ikosi – Ebute Ero – CMS; Ilaje Bariga – Ebute Ero – CMS – Falomo – Victoria Island; Epe – Victoria Island – Falomo; Bayeku – Oke Ira Nla – Badore; Badore – Falomo – CMS Marina; Ibeju Lekki – Falomo among others.
Balogun stressed that some of the new boats would be deployed specifically to the new routes of Epe and Badagry to alleviate and create alternative means of transportation to commuters faced with the challenges of traffic gridlock occasioned by the ongoing road rehabilitation along these axis.
He said: “This is good news for the good people of Epe and Badagry as we will be deploying some of the new boats to these axis to tackle the challenges of road traffic occasioned by road rehabilitation and create reliable alternative means of commuting through the waterways daily.”
Promise kept
The Managing Director expressed gratitude to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for fulfilling his promise of providing more than 20 watercrafts in the fleet of Lagferry.
According to him, “the Governor had during the launch of Lagferry commercial operations and commissioning of 8 new boats in February 2020, promised that he will double Lagferry’s fleet and increase its capacity from 14 to 30 to meet the increased ridership of water commuters.
”This is a commendable fulfilment of that promise and we can inform you that Mr. Governor is planning to procure more boats before the end of the year to cater for new routes and jetties that are being built constantly in order to ensure 30 percent of daily commuters travel by water and open up the huge potentials of the waterways to both local and foreign investors.”
The 7 new boats which would be commissioned during the second anniversary of Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration, have passenger boarding capacity ranging from 50 to 30.
Mercy Chukwudiebere
