Transport sector: LASG seeks organised private sector’s collaboration

Lagos State government has called for the collaboration of the Organised Private Sector (OPS) in the ongoing transport sector reform to fast track its success.

Lagos State deputy governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, made the call on Friday while speaking at the Year 2019 Lagos Transport Fest Conference held at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island.

Hamzat said the collaboration became necessary so as to achieve an efficient transport system that would meet the transport needs of over 20 million Lagosians in an emerging smart city.

He noted that achieving sustainable transport system had always posed a great challenge in Megacities around the world, assuring that the state government was committed to creating an enabling environment that would attract Private Sector Participation in the ongoing reforms in order to make the vision for a  Multi Modal Transport System easily realisable.

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Represented by the Commissioner for Transportation, Dr Frederic Oladeinde, the deputy governor commended the organisers of the event for their concerns and positive thinking towards a new Lagos with an improved transport system that would meet the international best practice.

Speaking under the theme: Sustainable and Equitable Transport; The Role of Government and Private Sector Stakeholders,” the deputy governor disclosed the plans of the state government  to make  the public transport system more attractive and investors friendly, noting that transportation was an integral part of the nation’s economic growth, hence the need to give it top priority.

Dr Hamzat, while urging people to support the state government in the ongoing reforms, stated that plans had commenced to improve the public transport system.

According to him, these include the ongoing formulation of the transport policy which he said would continually dictate the goals and objectives of a viable multimodal system.

He disclosed that the Lagos State government had commenced intelligent transport system to save commuters travel time, adding that, data were required to study travel patterns in order to effectively plan the development of mobility in the nearest future.

The deputy governor explained further that the state government had created an open platform for private investors, including countries like the Netherlands and China to collaborate with the state government so as to achieve its Multi-Modal Transport Policy.

He expressed happiness that government effort was already yielding positive result especially with the expression of interest in water and rail transportation by different investors.

Hamzat further stated that traffic management was wearing a new face with Special Task Force approach comprising of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Lagos State Neighborhood Corps (LSNC), Lagos State Task Force and the Nigeria Police Force to ensure safety and security of commuters, adding that the success of the force would endear the citizenry to volunteer and participate freely in the traffic laws enforcement.

The event attracted people from all walks of life especially stakeholders in the transport sector, members of the academic communities, top government functionaries, among others.