By Francis Ogwo
The Lagos State Ferry Services (LAGFERRY) has disclosed that it transported 41,040 trucks through its barges in Apapa ports for the full year 2020, in a bid to decongest Lagos roads.
This was according to LAGEFFRY MD, Mr Abdoulbaq Balogun, in a two-day Strategic Management Workshop for LAGFERRY management, titled “Resilience for Sustainable Economy” in Lagos on Saturday.
Balogun noted that: “Between January and December 2020, we have successfully moved 41,040 trucks from our terminal. LAGFERRY have also cleared 2,308 goods containers from Apapa and Tincan ports, while 941 empty containers have been loaded back to the ports. We have also been able to create 284 employment directly and indirectly through our operations.
“The mandate given to us by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is to move 30% of Lagosians by the waterways in order to decongest the roads. We equally understand the enormous responsibility and challenges before us for the new year. This is exactly the reason for organising this workshop.“
Speaking further, Balogun said full operation started in February 2020 through the deployment of 12 boats in 6 waterway routes in the state, citing that the service had ferried a total number of 100,000 passengers by September 2020.
“We were averaging daily commuting between 800 to 900 passengers and in June 2020, we had ferried about 60,000 passengers and by September, we celebrated our 100,000 passengers.
“In 2020, one of our boats, MV Ayangburen, christened the sea warrior of water transport, accomplished a feat of completing 22 trips in 7 hours and six minutes.
“Also in 2020, a total number of 2,857 persons were commuted on our chattered services to different parts of the state for pleasure, recreation and business. Today, I can proudly tell you that we commuted over 200,000 passengers within 150 days of operation in 2020.”
He noted that LAGFERRY would continue providing alternatives to enable ease of doing business in Lagos State, with the provision of logistic operations for companies through Lagos waterways.
Recall that LAGFERRY ferried over 200,000 passengers in 2020 during 150 days of operations.
LAGFERRY also revealed it was responsible for 38% of the water transportation index to the transportation matrix of Lagos and also improved the contribution of water transport to the state’s GDP to 0.2 per cent from 0.8 per cent, citing that the operations had helped decongest road traffic in Lagos State and boost ease of doing business through the waterways.
The Lagos State Ferry Services Corporation (LSFSC) or Lagos Ferry Services Company (also known as Lagferry) is a ferry services provider in Lagos State.
Although Lagos ferry services commenced operations in 1925, passenger ferries gradually intensified until the 1970s which led to the establishment of the corporation in 1983.
