Besides the pursuit of its THEME Agenda which includes Traffic Management and Transportation, Health and Environment, Education and Technology, the Lagos State government is also on a race towards becoming a 21st Century Economy in which businesses will thrive and residents prosper.
To achieve this, the state government is not only creating an enabling environment but also building efficient roads, rail and waterways infrastructure that will support private businesses and also attract foreign direct investment (FDI) that will contribute to actualizing the Greater Lagos dream.
Unarguably, Lagos is a peculiar city-state with an estimated population of 20 million which is projected to hit 30 million in the next decade. This is despite it being the smallest state in Nigeria with a land area of 3,577 square kilometers (sqkm), about 0.4 percent of Nigeria’s land area of 923,768sqkm.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) once reported that about 260,000 people come into Lagos daily, noting that only about 20-25 percent of this number goes back to their original places. The implication of this is that the existing infrastructure and facilities are overstretched, necessitating an urgent need to be innovative and proactive in providing more.
For those reasons, coupled with the understanding that infrastructure affects the quality of lives and the development of any society, the present administration in the state being piloted by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has, in the last one year, been pushing aggressively to provide the needed infrastructure.
“Good roads infrastructure remains key to the economic development of any nation as it is vital for smooth socio-economic activities. The economic impact that good infrastructure has on any society cannot be over-emphasised. It gives direction to the developmental plan of any society,” Sanwo-Olu said in his address to mark his one year in office.
Continuing, the governor said, “we are working to make our roads better. Several roads have been rehabilitated while others are at various stages of completion. The Oshodi-Abule- Egba BRT Corridor, the Pen Cinema Bridge, the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, the Agric-Ishawo Road and the four junctions’ improvement projects at Allen Avenue, Maryland, Ikotun and Lekki among others would soon be ready for public use.”
According to him, a major highlight of their intervention in roads was the commissioning of a network of 31 roads at Ojokoro area in December 2019, assuring that they were not resting on their oars as more completed projects have been slated for commissioning in the coming days.
These include the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) for the Bus Reform Scheme at Ikeja and Oshodi Bus Terminals; Oyingbo Bus Terminal; Concrete Jetty with Shoreline Protection and Waiting Shelter at Baiyeku, Ikorodu LGA; Fadipe/Salami/Eyiowuawi/
As a way of linking communities and promoting local economies and enterprise, the state has also done repairs on a good number of critical roads in what it called ‘Operation 116 Roads’. This cut across the 20 local government areas and the 37 local council development areas to the delight of the residents who have at various times commended the state government for the good work.
“I write on behalf of the Igbogbo community to express our deep appreciation to the Lagos State government and the public works corporation for the rehabilitation of Oba Omolaja Ogunlewe Road which was last done in the early 1980s. God bless you abundantly,” Olorunfunmi Basorun, the Asuwaju of Igbogbo, prayed for the state in gratitude.
Similarly, Awojirin Sijibomi Abiloa, a resident of Ejigbo, thanked both the state government and the public works corporation for the good work done in rehabilitating Iyana-Ejigbo and NNPC junction.
Consistent with the THEME Agenda which has Traffic Management and Transportation as its first leg, the Sanwo-Olu administration is has not stopped at roads infrastructure alone. Bearing in mind the pivotal role of transportation as a major driver of socio-economic activities, the governor stated that their goal was to develop a reliable intermodal transportation system.
This explains why the state government is investing in waterways and a light rail system as long overdue alternatives to roads. “On February 4, 2020, we made a giant leap in our resolve to develop an integrated transport system by officially commissioning eight new, state-of-the-art ferries, to kick-start our expansion of the LAGFERRY Service,” he said, noting, “since then we have seen a remarkable increase in the number of commuters on our waterways.”
The governor disclosed that, with the successful completion of the elevated sea-crossing track of the Blue Line Mass transit project at Marina, construction work has begun on the final phase of the scheme, pointing out that the project was critical to the achievement of their vision for intermodal transport.
“I am also pleased to inform you that the plan to construct the 4th Mainland Bridge is equally on course. Recently, we shortlisted eight out of over 30 firms that expressed interest in the project. In the coming weeks and months, you will certainly hear more on this all-important project,” he assured.
