The Chairman of the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee Investigating Failures of Federal Mass Transit Schemes, Hon. Afam Victor Ogene in preparation for the Investigative Public Hearing, , says the Committee is to interface with the Lagos state government and other successful private sector players in mass transportation in the state, rather than traveling abroad for the same purpose, in order to conserve government’s scarce resources.
Hon. Ogene made this assertion in a statement in Abuja.
He said that the Committee’s findings so far in the numerous meetings with diverse stakeholders were very insightful and disturbingly revealing.
“In the Committee’s research work on the subject matter, recognises the success story of the Lagos state government in mass transportation and believes it would be beneficial to visit the state, to hear firsthand, how the state, as a subnational is excelling where the federal government has inexplicably failed, “Hon Ogene said.
He also noted that the meeting with the Lagos state governor, represented by the Deputy Governor, Chief Femi Hamzat, was part of the Committee’s quest for sustainable solutions to Nigeria’s Mass Transit challenges in the country.
“We interface with key stakeholders,and Lagos stands out as a state that has set the pace in not only road transportation with Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, LAMATA, but also waterways and the newly commissioned Blue Line (rail), so, our visit to Your Excellency, in this regard given the peculiarity of the state, is an opportunity to benefit from Your Excellency’s experiences in the different sectors of mass transit, exchange ideas on the possible ways mass transit operations and policy in the nation could be rejigged, in a way that would add value to seamless movement of Nigerians and ultimately contribute meaningfully to the national GDP like in other climes, in line with the mandate of the Committee,” he said.
On his part, the Deputy Governor, Femi Hamzat, said that the state government was delighted that their efforts in mass transit were being recognised and applauded, even by an organ of government as important as the legislature.
He said that the state government has always been intentional in its investments in mass transportation in the state, given the huge population of people and increasing need for seamless movement across the state.
The Lagos Deputy Governor also disclosed that mass transportation is capital intensive but also a necessity, and therefore appealed for the federal government’s support, partnership and better synergy in addressing the challenges of the mass transit system in Lagos, in a way that would add value to the state’s purposeful efforts in the road, waterways and rail modes of transportation.
Mr Hamzat, who attributed the success story of the state in the transportation sector to diligent planning, also revealed that the state would soon launch another phase of the scheme, referred to as the Red Lines, which would have a higher mass transportation capacity than the Blue Lines.
The House of Representatives on Tuesday, July 18, 2023, set up an ad hoc committee to investigate the failures of Federal Mass Transit Schemes ( land, rail and waterways) in Nigeria since 1999 and to proffer sustainable solutions and report findings accordingly.
Dominica Nwabufo
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