The Lagos State Government has taken delivery of seven new boats of international standards built by local manufacturers to address traffic challenges in the state.
The Managing Director, Lagos Ferry Services, Abdoulbaq Balogun, made this known in a statement in Lagos on Friday.
While taking delivery of some of the boats at Ipakodo Terminal in Ikorodu, Lagos, Balogun expressed delight at the safety features and aesthetics of the boats and commended the manufacturers for meeting global best standards.
He assured commuters of a safe, fast and pleasurable experience on the waterways with the additional boats equipped with state-of-the-art gadgets.
He said: “Taking delivery of these boats is a testimony to the commitment by the Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration to continue to enable the growth trajectory 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 number of commuters, and we can assure people living in Lagos that they are in for a bundle of productive experiences in water transportation.”
He reiterated the state government’s commitment to multimodal transport system, saying that the government is currently building and renovating 15 new jetties across the coastal lines of the state.
Balogun said renovation and building of more jetties would open up more routes, noting that some of the new boats would be deployed to the new routes.
He listed the routes as: Badagry-Liverpool-CMS; Agbara-Ojo-Liverpool-CMS; Agbowa Ikosi-Ebute Ero-CMS; and Ilaje Bariga-Ebute Ero-CMS.
Others are Falomo-Victoria Island; Epe-Victoria Island-Falomo; Bayeku-Oke Ira Nla-Badore; Badore-Falomo-CMS Marina; and Ibeju Lekki-Falomo.
Balogun said some of the new boats would be deployed specifically to the new routes of Epe and Badagry to create alternative means of transportation.
He said the commuters facing the challenges of traffic gridlock occasioned by the ongoing road rehabilitation along these axes would make use of water transportation.
The Managing Director expressed gratitude to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for the record-breaking feat of providing more than 20 watercraft in the fleet of LAGFERRY.
Balogun also commended Sanwo-Olu for fulfilling his promise to Lagos citizens for doubling LAGFERRY’s fleet from 14 to 30 in the shortest time
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