The Paramount ruler in the Yaba area, the Onisabe of Igbobi-Sabeland, HRM Owolabi Adeyemi Adeniyi has cautioned parents to warn their wards to stay clear of the Red Line project any time the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) begins work on the Red Line Speed train in the Yaba area.
He said any youth caught disturbing public peace and preventing the execution of the project would be prosecuted and meted with the stiffest sanction.
The monarch spoke yesterday, at the Stakeholders engagement forum which held at the Yaba LCDA Headquarters, with the youths, market men and women, community and political leaders and traditional institution in Yaba area. The forum was the third in the series of civic engagement which have seen LAMATA meet with community leaders in Oyingbo and Mushin respectively.
Oba Adeniyi who praised the state government for bringing the infrastructural development closer to the people of Yaba, said when completed, the Red line would greatly improve the urban regeneration initiative of the government and reduce congestion on the roads and improve movement around the city of Lagos.
LAMATA’s Director of Rail Transportation Engr Olasunkanmi Okusaga said the forum was to enlighten the people within the Yaba area to the project, which he said would be delivered in 2022.
He said enumerators would be out and are expected to conclude the enumeration of all affected structures as well as the owners. He therefore urged Yaba residents to cooperate with the contractors employed to carry out the assessments in order to ensure the timely completion of the project.
Okusaga said LAMATA would handle the issue of compensation directly, assuring all those who might be affected by the project of the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s commitment to ensuring prompt payment of compensation to that would be affected.
Okusaga said the 37km rail line stretched from Agbado to Iddo, on the first phase, while the second phase would take the line from Iddo across the lagoon to Marina.
He said the rail line is projected to carry 750,000 passenger traffic, with the same expected to hit 1.1 million when the line fully comes on stream. According to the director, the corridor would have nine train stations, four overpasses and three pedestrian bridges.
Yaba LCDA chairman Kayode Omiyale assured the government of the readiness of the council to partner in ensuring the timely delivery of the Red Line which is regarded as “life changing project” in the Yaba area.
Omiyale said the berthing of Red Line at this time is a demonstration of the commitment of the state government to easing transportation and traffic control in the state, adding that with the coming of the rail, more people would be encouraged to make use of the rail line in the inter-modal system that is being encouraged by the government.