Develop waterways to ease transportation hardship in Lagos, indigenes urge government

The Lagos State Government has been urged to develop other means of transportation without delay, especially the waterways to alleviate the hardship commuters face daily on Lagos roads and curb the constant waste of time and human resource on the roads as a result of traffic gridlock.

A group, the Lagos State Prominent Indigenes, made the call at the weekend, urging Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to review all wastages in the system including the Alpha Beta contracts, the illegal collection of taxes by the National Union of Roads Transport Workers (NURTW), the market unions amongst others and direct such wastages to develop the ocean economy and thus provide jobs for our restive youths.

The group’s spokesman, Chief Adesunbo Onitiri, a socio-political activist stated that, “Lagosians now face more hardships in commuting within the Lagos metropolis. You can hardly reach your destination without spending a whole day on Lagos roads. Many business opportunities have been lost and a lot of people frustrated by their failure to meet appointments due to the unending traffic hold-up on Lagos roads.

“The stress on our roads is becoming unbearable and the closure of most roads by the authorities due to repair works is becoming too rampant, most Lagosians waste unnecessary economic hours commuting. All over the world in most metropolitan cities, road repair works are usually carried out at night or at weekends when traffic is light, to avoid congestion. We recommend this model in Lagos metropolis,” the indigenes emphasised.

According to the group, Lagos State is an island surrounded by water, “therefore our waters present an easier and cheaper means of transportation. Most of the Lagos divisions can be easily reached through the sea, like Badagry, Epe, lkorodu and Lagos lsland. A state that prides itself a megacity should have developed its waterways and rails.

“Granted that we missed the metro line as proposed by the late pragmatic Lateef Jakande administration, the planners should have gone to work on the waters, with our huge internal resources. But it is better late than never, it may be a bit difficult to embark on the underground train system but we can harness our ocean economy.”

The group further advocates that the state government urgently completes the Lagos-Badagry Express Way and clear the gridlock on Lagos-Apapa Road while it should also commence work on the Lagos Fourth Mainland Bridge. The group advised the state government not to re-introduce tolls on Lekki Expressway and lkoyi Link road, to avoid serious resistance from frustrated Lagosians.

It also appealed to the Federal Government to urgently commence work on the coastal line road to link Warri and Calabar ports.

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