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The first set of the 5,000 European-standard city buses being planned by the Lagos State Government to replace the yellow commercial buses currently plying the roads will hit the streets in the next six months. The new city buses are coming under the Government’s Bus Reform Initiative aimed at transforming public transportation in Nigeria’s commercial capital. Already, a world-class Bus Terminal, equipped with the state-of-the-art facilities, is nearing completion in Ikeja, the state capital and will soon be launched for public use.
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, confirmed this on Thursday when he paid host to a group of students from Michigan Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard KennedySchool of Government, United States of America. The group, made up of 20 delegates from 16 countries, was led by the immediate past Vice President, International Affairs of Harvard Kennedy School, Mrs. Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji. Ambode said his Administration was working round the clock to revolutionalise the transportation system in the State and improve the way and manner 23 million Lagosians commute daily.
Ambode, who also maintained that an integrated transportation system was key to growing the economy of the State, said the 5000 new buses would be the first step by his administration to change the existing transportation system predominantly driven by the yellow buses, popularly known as Danfo.
His words: “In the last one year, we have decided that we must integrate rail, road water and air transportation systems in such a way that the system of connectivity is improved upon and I would like to have a direct partnership on how that can actually be actualised.
“Right now, we are cleaning out all the yellow buses you see in the State. As we proceed in the next six months and a span of three years, we are introducing 5000 new buses of European standard to actually clean up the city, because if you want to grow the economy of Lagos, transportation is key and then it’s a major infrastructure for tourism itself.”
Ambode noted that the dependence on road transportation in the last two decades, as the major means of transportation in the State has given rise to a chaotic system where about eight million Lagosians commute across the State every minute.
“The question is how do you move 23 million people on a daily basis from point A to point B with ease and comfort? So, the way the city has been so designed in the last few years, the city has actually concentrated on only one mode of transportation, which is road transportation. There has not been any comprehensive planning to integrate all the modes of transportation in a way that makes it easy.
“There are eight million people walking on the streets of Lagos every minute, did we create more points for them? The answer is no. We have one-fifth of the State on water, are we doing effective water transportation, the answer is no. The rail system is still under construction in such a way that it can move a mass number of people from one point to another. That is why we have a whole lot of congestion on the road,” the Governor said.
Governor Ambode also disclosed that State Government had made series of intervention to improve road transportation network through the creation of more bus terminals, lay bys, and bus stops to accommodate the eventual take off of the Bus Reform Initiative. The Governor also disclosed that the reforms in the water transportation system was ongoing and would take off fully within the next six to nine months, as a means to encourage residents to utilise it as an alternative means of transportation. He also listed urban migration as one of the major challenges his administration was contending with as he revealed that about 86 persons enter into Lagos on a daily basis without any plan to go back.
Speaking earlier during the visit, the leader of the delegation, Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji, said the team was proud of the exploits of the Governor in the last two years, noting that despite the major challenges of urbanisation Lagos was facing, there was an appreciable level of progress.
“I am overwhelmed with joy that I can bring some of the brightest and the best brains in the world to come and see the beauty, the greatness, the resilience, the talent and accomplishment of Nigeria. Lagos is the staple success story of Nigeria. I know Nigeria is not where it ought to be, but I know a State that is sustaining itself by itself under a crucial administration that understands how people should feel,” she said.
She expressed gratitude to the Governor for receiving the group, saying the visit was to explore possible areas of partnership with staff of the State’s Public Service through research fellowships, policy analysis exercises, collaborations on talent, capabilities and constructive criticisms to move the State forward.
Photo Credit: Instagram – @toyosirise | Lagos Business School
