The Lagos State Government has announced its commitment to enhancing water transportation by developing safer, more efficient, and sustainable strategies, which are currently in various stages of implementation.
According to a statement released on Sunday, the Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, highlighted this during a visit to the Lagos State Waterways Monitoring and Data Management Centre Control Room, established by the Lagos State Waterways Authority.
The commissioner emphasized that the state government is set to implement diverse strategies to make water transportation a viable and dependable option for Lagos residents.
Furthermore, the General Manager of LASWA, Damilola Emmanuel, explained the functions of the WMDMC control room, emphasizing its role in managing movement on the inland waterways.
As part of the tour, which included the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transportation, Olawale Musa, LASWA boat operators, and Caverton Marine representatives, the entourage embarked on a boat ride to the Badore Ferry Terminal to inspect the boat yard where ferry construction is underway.
During the 35-minute boat ride to Badore, Musa noted the state government’s preference for patronizing local boat builders due to the economic advantage over importing boats from abroad.
At the boat yard, the CEO of Caverton Offshore, Olabode Makanjuola, assured that the boats are built to international standards, with plans to launch approximately 15 newly built boats soon for use in the inland waterways.
In February, the National Inland Waterways Authority revealed that 75 percent of boats operating on Lagos Waterways were not seaworthy. The Lagos Area Manager of NIWA, Sarat Braimah, cited a decline in boat maintenance and called for measures to ensure the seaworthiness of vessels operating in the region.
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