Lagos transport policy will be unveiled in May – Sanwo-Olu

Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governor of Lagos State has said plans are ongoing to unveil the state’s transport policy scheduled for May.

Sanwo-Olu spoke on Wednesday, April 24, at the annual roundtable and public launch of Global Transport Policy, a bilingual Magazine, in Ikeja, Lagos.

Represented by the commissioner for transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, he said the policy will help drive the development of intermodal transportation for which the administration is irrevocably committed to.

“I am happy to announce that the Lagos State Transport Policy is not ready and will be unveiled in due course,” Sanwo-Olu said.

“As a responsible government, our administration put it on itself to promote non-motorised means of transportation by first drafting the non-motorised transport policy and reintroducing the construction of walkways,” he added.

As the nation’s commercial hub, the transport policy, according to the governor, will aid the overall development of the sector, enhancing the interconnectivity of the various modes of transportation.

Sanwo-Olu said the government had rolled out several interventions in the last five years under the THEMES+ Agenda of the administration.

He added that transportation and traffic management are critical in making room for an integrated intermodal system.
Speaking further, he noted that such interventions as rail, waterways and roads, which are the most basic forms of transport system, have been made available to residents of the state.

Sanwo-Olu said the government has invested massively in multi-modality transportation initiatives which have seen the delivery of the Blue Line Train, which commenced commercial operation in September 2023 and has carried over one million passengers to date, while the Red Line which is to service the western part of the state has since been commissioned.

The governor who disclosed that the Lagos State waterways now account for 54,000 passengers daily, said the government has continued to invest in the waterways, adding that the government currently has 21 boats working on the waterways in addition to 25 more that are going to shortly be commissioned.

He added that even as the government continues to deliver functional jetties and ferry terminals, the government will continue to drive road development by reflecting its bus rapid transit and such other initiatives deployed to service the road system.

In his welcome address, Oluwaseun Musa, chairman/Consultant of Global Transport Policy, said the seamless interconnectivity of transport networks fosters trade, spurs investments, and promotes the exchange of knowledge and expertise.

Addressing the theme of the conference, which is transport infrastructure and strategic policy I intervention, building blocks for economic growth, Musa said the government’s first building block is the establishment of a comprehensive, multimodal transport system that enhances connectivity within and beyond our borders, stretching to neighbouring countries to further amplify the benefit of Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to boost intra-Africa trade.

In his goodwill message, Olusegun Obayendo, president of the Chartered Institute of Transport Administration (CIOTA), called for the professionalism of the sector and to take ownership of the sector to shape the future of transportation.

Obayendo said the country needs a national transport policy to help deepen and drive initiatives that would help grow the transport sector.

He said CIOTA will continue to support initiatives aimed at deepening the sector and professionalising it as it remained the only way to see the development of the sector and improve Nigeria.

The highlight of the conference was the unveiling of the Global Transport Policy, a bilingual specialised Magazine to contribute to the deepening of knowledge on transportation.