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Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Dayo Mobereola
The Lagos State Government has restated its full commitment to its 30-year transport master plan, saying the project is well on course.
The state Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, disclosed this on Tuesday while welcoming members of the Nigerian Automotive Journalists Association (NAJA), who were on a courtesy visit to his office at the State Secretariat in Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos.
The commissioner said: “Government is working very hard on its 30-year transport master plan. The plan includes 450-bus network, railway, 24 water transport routes, all linked together in a way that they are easily accessible to residents in various places where they live.”
Mobereola added: “We are coming up with better buses, rail and water transport so that people can leave their cars at home to make use of public transport. But, of course, we are cognisant of the fact that transport infrastructure are capital intensive and we know the situation of the economy today- there are other areas – education, health and others, but we are trying to make a stronger case for transport because movement of people in a mega city such as Lagos is very important.”
He disclosed that in the state’s multimodal transport plan, elaborate studies are being carried out to determine where people are travelling more, what number of people in various areas and how much they are willing to pay for the identified transport services.
“We have a vision and the vision is to transform transportation in Lagos State. We are trying to get the people to support our vision and I want to use this platform to say that we need to collaborate, as the job is now bigger for all of us. We need to pass information to the people to make them understand that everyone is involved in making transportation easier for all of us,” the commissioner said.
While calling for a change of attitude by motorists plying the roads in the state, he said, “Motorists in Lagos need to be patient and be disciplined on the road. We would like the media to be the instrument of change, get people to respect the rule of law. Most motorists in Lagos will need to change their mentality so that we all can live well in Lagos.”
Mobereola disclosed that the total number air- conditioned Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) buses plying Lagos roads is now 430, with plans to acquire more buses before the end of the year.
He said the state government has directed that all public buses are air-conditioned to attract more Lagosians to the public transport grid.
He explained that going by past experiences, the ministry had instructed that any company given the BRT contract must have adequate spare parts in stock, with the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) engineers on ground to ensure timely maintenance to avoid system breakdown.
“We encourage the contractors to use vehicles that are already in Nigeria, but if they are bringing in new vehicles that are not in the country, they must come with spare parts and the automaker’s service engineers must be on ground,” he said.
