VINCENT KURAUN reports that following the ban on okada operations in Lagos State, many commuters are now looking towards the waterways as an alternative means of transportation, especially to their workplaces and back.
One of the responsibilities government has towards its citizens is to protect their lives and properties. Based on this premise, the Lagos State Government recently placed a permanent ban on the activities of commercial motorcycles operating in some parts of the state. The government cited security as one of the major reasons, among others, for the ban. So far, the ban has gone into effect in 10 local government areas and more are expected to follow soon.
It is recalled that the Lagos State governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, had on Wednesday, May 18, 2022 announced a total ban on the activities of commercial motorcycles in six local government areas, including all major roads, highways and bridges in the state. The second phase of the ban took effect on September 1, 2022 in four more local government areas. This currently brings the number of the affected local governments to 10 namely: Ikeja; Surulere; Eti-Osa; Lagos Mainland; Lagos Island; Apapa; Kosofe; Oshodi-Isolo; Somolu and Mushin. While the ban is in force, the state government advised the general public to resort to alternative and sustainable means of transportation to go about their respective daily activities.
There is no doubt that the ban on commercial motorcycles has affected the movement of some residents in the state. Anyone resident in Ikorodu, for instance, but who commutes on a daily basis to Victoria Island or CMS, or Falomo, Ikoyi, to work will understand the deep impact of the ban on commercial motorcycle operations. Though the journey is perilous, some of these residents who took motorcycles to these places on the island and to other places in the city often appraised their efficiency and timeliness. The okadas, they would claim, take them to their destinations and in time too.
So how has the ban affected this category of people? Since the ban became operational, how has someone who lives in Ikorodu but shuttle daily to Falomo, Badore or Mile2, Liverpool been coping?
In a bid to assess the impact of the ban on okada on water transportation in the state, Sunday Tribune visited the ferry terminus in Ikorodu where the Lagos State government’s ferry service, otherwise known as LAGFERRY, is in full operation, as well as other private boats operators. From this point in Ikorodu, one could connect the \Lagos Island as well other places.
The routes operated by LAGFERRY and private operators are CMS/Marina, Ikorodu to Falomo, Badore – Oke Ira Nla (Eti-Osa) to Addax Jetty Victoria Island/Falomo, others are Ebute Ojo – Ijegun Egba to CMS/Marina, Mile2- Liverpool in Apapa to CMS/Marina and Badore – Langbasa – Ijede.
Getting ready for the ride
The huge influx of passengers was unmistakeable early in the morning as people came into the ferry terminal trying to get to their various destinations. Some of the passengers who spoke with Sunday Tribune said they had also noticed an increase in the number of passengers at the terminal in recent times, but they were not sure if it was connected to the recent ban on commercial motorcycle activities in parts of the state. It was observed also that the terminal had a large car park for those wishing to park their vehicles and then commute through the waterways.
At the terminal, staffers of Lagferry services were distinct in their customised uniform, friendly and quick to attend to the passengers, many of who came with their personal lifejackets despite the ones provided by the operators, apparently as a further insurance of their safety. Every passenger was asked to fill the manifest before boarding the ferries just in case.
Sunday Tribune also boarded a 50-passengers capacity boat operated by LagFerry to interact with the passengers from Ikorodu to Five Cowries ferry terminal in Falamo, Ikoyi. A level of professionalism was displayed by the captain and the deckhands throughout the trip as they displayed politeness in the course of the journey. Before the commencement of the trip, the captain came and spoke to a passenger who was not putting on his lifejacket properly and encouraged him to do the needful. The ferry was not overloaded and everyone was well-seated throughout the journey that lasted 47 minutes.
One of the passengers, Mr Folorunsho Olorundare who spoke with Sunday Tribune commended the Lagos State government on the ban on activities of commercial motorcycles in the state but ask the government not to stop at the ban, but to do more by making available more alternatives for Lagos residents.
He said: “if you can help us talk to the government, tell them to do more by making available more boats like this very one to the general public which is safer than the smaller speed boats you are seeing here. For instance, this is the only boat going to Lagos Island this morning. What that tells you is that, once you miss this one, you won’t be able to get another unless you decide to patronise the smaller ones. But if government makes more boats available, it would make things very convenient for us.”
Enquiring if he resorted to using the waterways as a result of the ban on commercial motorcycles, Mr Olorundare retorted: “would you rather take a bike from here to Lagos Island? It is commendable that the government has woken up to its responsibility of protecting lives and properties of the citizens. If you look at the rate of crime, accidents and other atrocities committed by some okada operators, or if you were once a victim, you won’t consider okada as a means of transportation. Personally, being at the jetty this morning has nothing to do with the ban on okada.”
A different view was, however, expressed by another passenger who craved anonymity. While speaking with Sunday Tribune, he lamented the ban of commercial motorcycles in the state, considering the horrific traffic on Lagos roads on a daily basis. According to him, “I am not disputing the fact that some okada operators use their bikes to commit crime, flout traffic rules and, at the end of the day, some avoidable accidents happen. But that doesn’t mean there should be a ban on their activities without adequate provision for alternatives.
“I started using this boat service simply because of the ban on operations of commercial motorcycles in the area where my office is located; but look at the time, we are still here. Secondly, how many people could afford this (fare)? The fare is relatively high on average salary earner using this means of transportation to and fro on a daily basis. The smaller speed boats are even charging more. I have transported myself from my house to the terminal to board this boat and when I get to Five Cowries terminal at Falomo, I will still spend some money to get to my office, though, I can afford it. What of those who cannot?” he lamented.
Another passenger, Mr. Nathaniel Dauda, frowned on the ban of commercial motorcycles in the state. According to him: “It is obvious the ban is affecting the transport system; take for instance, if the services of bike-hailing operators like Gokada were still operational, I would have got to my office by now but I am in the ferry today because of the ban.”
Speaking further on the safety of the water transportation, Mr Dauda said: “this Lagferry boat is better that the speed boat. The speed boats are really scary, but this is more comfortable than the other ones. If more boats were made available at reduced cost, it would have been very helpful for a lot of people living in this area and at the end, traffic on the road would be decongested.”
According to Mrs. Adeola Olaniyan, another passenger, “coming to the jetty to get the ferry is because of my consciousness of getting to the office early. Without the ferry, I wonder what time I would be getting to the office. Though it doesn’t move early, it is still better than going by road. Initially, I used the BRT or the yellow buses, but since I started using this ferry, I realised that it saves me a lot of time and energy. It is really a good alternative for those who can afford it, and I would also recommend this for people residing within this area.
“Let me also use this medium also to appeal to government to make more Lagferry boats available to us. It is very convenient and we are comfortable with the safety measures put in place.”
Asked whether she was using the ferry service due to the ban on okada, Mrs Olaniyan said she does not like taking the bike because of the frequent accidents caused by their riders.
“I have many family and friends that were affected by okada accidents. The ban does not in any way stop people from going to work. People are still moving. I personally support the ban. If the government can make more boats available at reduced cost, a lot of people would be using the ferries.
“For the time being, knowing that the boats are not enough, what I do on my part is to come out very early so that I won’t miss this one because this is the only one going to the Island this morning, and once you miss out this one, you will have to use the other private speed boats and don’t forget, they charge a little bit higher that this Lagferry. If you consider the cost, it will be cheaper to go by road, but then, you will also realise that you would be spending more time on the road.”
Sunday Tribune also spoke with The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Lagos State Ferry Services (Lagferry), Honourable Abdoulbaq Ladi Balogun, to confirm if there had been an increase in patronage recently as a result of the ban on commercial motorcycles operators in the state, measures put in place to accommodate more passengers, among other issues.
Balogun confirmed that there is an increase in the number of passengers and the agency has done enough and is still doing more to make sure Lagos residents are not stranded at the terminals. In doing this, the agency has increased it ridership and deployed more boats as well as increased trip schedules.
“Yes, there has been increase in our ridership. Of recent, we have had to deploy boats and increase our trip schedules in the most of our terminals; this has enabled the agency to ferry almost a million passengers since it was re-launched in 2020,” he said.
On the routes operated by LAGFERRY in the state, Balogun told Sunday Tribune that currently, Lagferry operates on about 15 routes across the state. He listed them as Ikorodu-VI-Falomo; Ikorodu-Ebute Ero-CMS; Ijede-Badore; Mile 2-Liverpool-CMS; Ebute Ojo–Liverpool-CMS; Badore-VI-Falomo; Ilaje Bariga-VI-Falomo-CMS and Bayeku –Oke Ira Nla-Badore, among others.
Safety measures
According to the company’s website, safety of it staff and passengers comes first. It is in light of this that the company ensured that some safety rules are enforced. One, for the staff of the company, it is mandatory that their captains and deckhands are licensed, experienced and competent to sail the ferries on Lagos waterways. Secondly, ferries are always checked by maintenance engineers before every trip to ensure that they are in good condition and fit for each trip.
Also, wearing of lifejacket is a must for all passengers as witnessed at the terminal, no matter the age. In addition, the ferries are never to be loaded beyond their capacity. Captains of the ferries must operate at a regulated boat speed and the activities of the ferries are regulated as they operate only in the day and avoid operations as soon as visibility is poor.
For the passengers, the company advised that they always listen to the instructions from the captains and deckhands as well as making sure their lifejackets are worn properly to fit in with the buckles and belt well fastened. Filling the manifest form by all passengers is equally compulsory before boarding the ferries. It is also advisable for passengers to avoid unnecessary arguments and discussion during the trip while reporting overloading of boats to the office of Lagos State Waterways Authority is encouraged by the company, among other rules.
“To ensure passengers’ safety, all our passengers are made to compulsory wear our high quality life jackets. No passenger or crew enters our boats without wearing their life jackets. All our passengers are fully insured. We have installed cameras in all our boats and are being monitored in real time at a command centre to ensure passengers’ safety. We operate within stipulated hours as directed by the regulatory authority. Our captains and deckhands go for regular trainings in rescue and crisis management techniques to give more confidence and ensure overall safety of our passengers,” he said.
Balogun also told Sunday Tribune about the Lagos State government’s commitment to ensuring that the state achieved it intermodal transport system of Rail, Road and water as encapsulated in his T.H.E.M.E.S development agenda where traffic management and transportation is the first pillar of the agenda.
He said: ”It is believedthat one mode of transportation is not enough for a smart city like Lagos; hence his (Sanwo-Olu’s) commitment to invest massively in alternative means like rail and water. Lagferry was invigorated to ensure and create the needed alternative to road and decongest the traffic. In the last two years of operation, the agency has procured fifteen modern state-of-the-art boats and government is in the process of procuring more. Government is presently building and renovating over 15 terminals to open up more route within the metropolis.”
It is very clear that despite increasing the number of boats, more of them cannot be too much for a city like Lagos, for better operations, so that the regular passengers who rely on Lagferry to commute from home to work and back, could rest assured that the journey on the waterways is indeed safer and more comfortable.
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