The Lagos State Transport Policy will be unveiled next month, the State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has said.
The governor spoke yesterday,at the annual roundtable and public launch of Global Transport Policy a bilingual Magazine,at the Marriot Hotel, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos.
The Governor who was represented by the Commissioner for Transportation Mr. Oluwaseun Osiyemi, said the policy will help drive the development of intermodal transportation for which the administration is irrevocably committed.
He said:”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 of walkways.”
As the nation’s commercial hub, the transport policy, according to the governor, will help drive the overall development of the sector and the connectivity of the interconnectivity of the various modes of transportation.
Speaking of the interventions of the government in the last five years, the governor said under the THEMES+ Agenda of the administration, transportation and traffic management is prioritised making room for 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 said the government has invested massively in multi-modality transportation initiative which has seen the delivery of the Blue Line Train, which commenced commercial operation since September 2023, and has carried over one million passengers till date, while the red line which is to service the western part of the state has since been commissioned.
Sanwo-Olu who disclosed that the Lagos State waterways now accounts for 54,000 passenger daily, said government has continue to invest on the waterways, adding that the government currently have 21 boats working on the waterways in addition to 25 more that is going to shortly be commissioned even as government continue 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.
In his welcome address, the Chairman/Consultant, Global Transport Policy, Dr Oluwaseun Musa said the seamless interconnectivity of transport networks fosters trade, spurs investments d promotes the exchange of knowledge and expertise.
Addressing the theme of the conference, which is transport infrastructure and strategic policy I intervention, building blocks for economic growth, Musa said 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.
In his goodwill message, the President of the Chartered Institute of Transport Administration (CIOTA), Prince Olusegun Obayendo, called for the professionalism of the sector and take ownership of the sector to shape the future of transportation.
Added to this, Obayendo said is the absence of national transport policy to help deepen and drive initiatives that would help grow the transport sector.
He said CIOTA will continue to support initiatives aimed at deepening the sector and professionalise it as it remained the only way to see the development of the sector and improve Nigeria.
The highlight of the conference was the unveiling of the Global Transport Policy, a bilingual specialised Magazine to contribute to the deepening of knowledge on transportation.