Lagos State government has urged Lagosians to embrace unlimited possibilities in water transportation to ease incessant traffic gridlock in the state, just as it expressed its commitment to a multimodal transport system aimed at tackling traffic gridlocks in the metropolis.
Managing Director, Lagos Ferry Services (LAGFERRY), Hon Abdoulbaq Ladi Balogun, made the appeal in his New Year message to commuters while mapping out LAGFERRY’s operational strategies for the year 2021.
This was just as he assured that Lagosians would witness a lot of transformations in water transportation in the new year, disclosing that arrangements had been concluded by the state government to increase the boat fleet to 20.
“I urge you to stay tuned and expect more remarkable giant strides in water transportation in the first quarter of the new year as the agency takes delivery of additional world-class state of the art boats to increase our fleets to 20 and our capacity to meet the ever-increasing demands,” Balogun said.
Balogun further assured that his agency would reciprocate the government’s huge investment in water transportation with improved and efficient service delivery to the residents in the new year.
While thanking the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration for its unwavering support and commitment to the intermodal transportation system in the state with huge investment in water transportation, Balogun informed that LAGFERRY achieved unprecedented milestones in its operations in the last one year by commuting over 200,000 passengers within 150 days of operation in 2020, noting that the agency would have done better if not for the interruptions caused by the Covid–19 pandemic and #EndSARS protest.
“Notable among the achievements and huge milestones recorded by LAGFERRY was expanding services to Epe, Badagry, Agbowa-Ikosi, Agbara and Ibeju-Lekki, which contributed 38% of the water transportation index to the transportation matrix of the state, improved water transportation contribution to Lagos GDP from 0.2% to 0.8%, paying a high premium to safety and achieving accident-free record,” he enthused.
According to Balogun, the agency has been able to provide a reliable alternative intermodal transportation option for Lagosians by helping to decongest road traffic and assisting in ensuring ease of doing business by providing innovative logistics solution for cargoes of corporate Lagos through the waterways, assuring that the agency would remain committed to the safety of passengers and would not compromise on any of the COVID-19 safety protocols as related to water transportation.
“We will continue to break new grounds as we open up uncharted territory in water, we are committed to your safety as we promise not to compromise on COVID-19 safety protocols. We are urging the commuting public to embrace water transportation as alternative to road transport just as we assure our passengers of our commitment to their safety and improved service delivery,” Balogun further assured.
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