Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has disclosed that the state Transport Policy will be launched in May.
The Governor made this known on Wednesday, at the annual roundtable and public launch of Global Transport Policy a bilingual Magazine, at the Marriot Hotel, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos.
Sanwo-Olu, represented by the commissioner for transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, explained that the policy will help drive the development of intermodal transportation for which the administration is irrevocably committed.
“I am happy to announce that the Lagos State Transport Policy is not ready and will be unveiled in due course.
“As a responsible government, our administration put it on itself to promote non-motorised means of transportation by first drafting the non-motorised transport policy and reintroducing the construction of walkways,” he said.
The Governor said as the nation’s commercial hub, the transport policy will help drive the overall development of the sector and the connectivity of the interconnectivity of the various modes of transportation.
On the interventions of the government in the last five years, Sanwo-Olu stressed that under the THEMES+ Agenda of the administration, transportation and traffic management are prioritised making room for an integrated intermodal system of transportation that makes connectivity of all modes of transport intervention in the state such as rail, waterways and road which is the most basic form of transport system available to residents of the state.
He noted that the government has invested massively in multi-modality transportation initiatives which have seen the delivery of the Blue Line Train, which commenced commercial operation in September 2023 and has carried over one million passengers to date, while the Red Line which is to service the western part of the state has since been commissioned.
Sanwo-Olu explained that the Lagos State waterways now account for 54,000 passengers daily, adding that the government has continued to invest in the waterways.
He went further that the government currently has 21 boats working on the waterways in addition to 25 more that are going to shortly be commissioned even as the government continues to deliver functional jetties and ferry terminals while government will continue to drive road development by reflecting its bus rapid transit and such other initiative deployed to service the road system.
The Chairman/Consultant of Global Transport Policy, Oluwaseun Musa, disclosed that the seamless interconnectivity of transport networks enhance trade, boost investments, and strengthen the exchange of knowledge and expertise.
Speaking on the theme of the conference, which is transport infrastructure and strategic policy I intervention, building blocks for economic growth, Musa ponted out that the government’s first building block is the establishment of a comprehensive, multimodal transport system that enhances connectivity within and beyond our borders, stretching to neighbouring countries to further amplify the benefit of Africa. Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to boost intra-Africa trade.
The President of the Chartered Institute of Transport Administration, Prince Olusegun Obayendo, in his congratulatory message called for the professionalism of the sector and to take ownership of the sector to shape the future of transportation.
Obayendo added that the absence of national transport policy to help deepen and drive initiatives that would help grow the transport sector.
He stated that CIOTA will continue to support initiatives aimed at deepening the sector and professionalising it as it remained the only way to see the development of the sector and improve Nigeria.
The most inspiring moment of the conference was the unveiling of the Global Transport Policy, a bilingual specialised Magazine to contribute to the deepening of knowledge on transportation.
