The Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwumi Ambode, on Friday sought private sector investments in water transportation to complement his government’s current efforts to ease transport gridlock in major roads across the state and by so doing, improve the environment for businesses.
Ambode, who described water transportation as critical to solving the traffic congestion in the state, said that the move by the government to open the sub-sector for development was informed by its prolonged years of neglect.
The governor gave these hints at a Roundtable on Water Transportation organised by the state government on Friday in Lagos, assuring that the administration will do its best to fully harness water transportation potential for the benefit of all stakeholders in the state.
He explained: “The question to ask is what has brought us to this despicable situation so to speak where the only mode of transportation for over 22 million people is road and the road itself is chaotic.
“In the last three years, we have been fighting traffic and unfortunately, in the last two weeks, we have seen what has happened in Apapa and what we have been trying to do. Just about three weeks ago, we saw what happened with regards to the Otedola bridge disaster and then the carnage, as well as the inability of the government to provide for the needs of the people.
“So, among the over 22 million people, almost 8 million are walking on the streets every second and at the same time, 86 people enter into Lagos every one hour according to United Nations statistics for 2016 which is the largest in the world.
“So, if other states are failing, more people are going to be coming to Lagos and that means maybe right now, there are 120 people entering Lagos not wanting to go back and the only mode of transportation we have for them is just the road and that is why we are coming up with other modes”, the Governor added
According to him, the roundtable was convened to enable participants come up with a sustainable framework to boost water transportation and encourage people to adopt it as an alternative to other modes of transportation in the state.
Ambode charged investors in the state to key into the water sector reforms given its return on investment promises, saying that his administration will continue to promote businesses through the creation of enabling environment by introducing appropriate policy measures.
The Governor pointed out that Lagos State remained a major destination of investment over the last few years due the administration’s culture of transparency and credibility to encourage investments.
