Lagos State
Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Thursday said that the first set of 5000
brand new buses under the Bus Reform Initiative, a brain child of his
administration, would be flagged off within the next six months.
Governor
Ambode, who spoke when students of the prestigious Harvard Kennedy School of
Government, United States of America, paid him a courtesy visit at the Lagos
House in Ikeja, said that his administration was working round the clock to
revolutionalise the transportation system in the State and improve the way and
manner 23 million Lagosians commute daily. Fielding questions from the visiting
students, Governor Ambode alluded to the fact that an integrated transportation
system was key to growing the economy of the State, Governor Ambode said the
5000 new buses would be the first step by his administration to change the
existing transportation system predominantly driven by the yellow buses,
popularly known as danfo. The Governor said: “In the last one year, we have
decided that we must integrate rail, road water and air transportation systems
in such a way that the system of connectivity is improved upon and I would like
to have a direct partnership on how that can actually be actualised. “Right now
we are cleaning out all the yellow buses you see in the State. As we proceed in
the next six months and a span of three years, we are introducing 5000 new
buses of European standard to actually clean up the city because if you want to
grow the economy of Lagos, transportation is key and then it’s a major
infrastructure for tourism itself.” Governor Ambode noted that the dependence
on road transportation in the last two decades, as the major means of
transportation in the State has give rise to a chaotic system where about eight
million Lagosians commute across the State every minute. “The question is how
do you move 23 million people on a daily basis from point A to point B with
ease and comfort? So the way the city has been so designed in the last few
years, the city has actually concentrated on only one mode of transportation,
which is road transportation. There has not been any comprehensive planning to
integrate all the modes of transportation in a way that makes it easy. “There
are eight million people walking on the streets of Lagos every minute, did we
create more points for them. The answer is no. We have one-fifth of the State
on water, are we doing effective water transportation, the answer is no. The
rail system is still under construction in such a way that it can move mass
number of people from one point to another. That is why we have a whole lot of
congestion on the road,” the Governor said. Besides, Governor Ambode said that
State Government had made series of intervention to improve road transportation
network through the creation of more bus terminals, lay bys, bus stops to
accommodate the eventual take off of the Bus Reform Initiative. The Governor
also disclosed that the reforms in the water transportation system was ongoing
and would take off fully within the next six to nine months, as a means to
encourage residents to utilise it as an alternative means of transportation.
Governor Ambode also listed urban migration as one of the major challenges his
administration was contending with just as he revealed that about 86 persons enter
into Lagos on a daily basis without any plan to go back. He said the attending
consequence of such migration was evident on the State’s healthcare system as
well as the 13,000 tonnes of waste generated daily in the State on a daily
basis, saying that his administration however must continue to think outside
the box to provide solutions to such infrastructural challenges. “People fly in
from Ghana to come and use our hospitals here in Lagos. So we now have to sit
down beyond what we have learnt in school to look at the practical challenges
of urban migration and good governance and things we have to mitigate against a
population that is unaccounted for,” Governor Ambode said. Thanking the
Students for choosing to visit Lagos, he tasked them to go beyond acquiring
leadership skills, but also get involved in policy formulation and
implementation in their various domains. Earlier, immediate past Vice
President, International Affairs of Harvard Kennedy School, Mrs. Toyosi
Akerele-Ogunsiji said the team was proud of the exploits of the Governor in the
last two years, noting that despite the major challenges of urbanisation Lagos
was facing, there was appreciable level of progress. “I am overwhelmed with joy
that I can bring some of the brightest and the best brains in the world to come
and see the beauty, the greatness, the resilience, the talent and
accomplishment of Nigeria. Lagos is the staple success story of Nigeria. I know
Nigeria is not where it ought to be, but I know a State that is sustaining
itself by itself under a crucial administration that understands how people
should feel, she said.” Thanking the Governor for receiving the Students, she
said that the visit was to explore possible areas of partnership with staff of
the State’s Public Service through research fellowships, policy analysis
exercises, collaborations on talent, capabilities and constructive criticisms
to move the State forward.
Vanguard
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