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.
Mr 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 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.
