By Our Reporter
The Lagos State Government has intensified efforts to transform water transportation across the state with the completion of over 50 kilometres of channelisation works along major ferry routes, as part of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s THEMES+ development agenda.
The State Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Hon. Dayo Bush Alebiosu, made this known while presenting his account of stewardship within the last two years to newsmen at the Annual Ministerial Press Briefing held at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Alausa, Ikeja.
According to the commissioner, the channelisation works were carried out to improve navigation across Lagos waterways, open up new ferry routes, and strengthen safety for water transport operators and commuters.
Alebiosu explained that the intervention would significantly reduce incidents of boat accidents and head-on collisions often caused by submerged shipwrecks and other navigational hazards along ferry routes, adding that the project would also help tackle erosion and flooding affecting several waterfront communities across the state.
He stated that the routes covered under the channelisation project include the 14.8km Ikorodu–Mende channel in Kosofe Local Government Area, the 14.8km Ikorodu–Agboyi route, also within Kosofe, as well as the Five Cowries–Lekki–Lagoon–Parkview and Banana Island channels, adding that the Ilado–Ilashe–Odofin channel in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area was also captured under the project.
The commissioner further revealed that navigation buoys had been installed across the waterways to aid easy and safer navigation for ferries and commercial boats operating within the state.
Alebiosu noted that the initiative aligned with the state government’s commitment to strengthening Lagos’ multimodal transportation network through the integration of road, rail, and water transportation systems under the THEMES+ agenda of the Sanwo-Olu administration.
Speaking further, the commissioner said the state government had also commenced the installation of modern concrete floating pontoons at selected jetties across Lagos as part of ongoing efforts to modernise waterways infrastructure.
According to him, the project, being implemented by the Lagos State Ministry of Waterfront Infrastructure Development (MWID), is designed to provide safer, more durable, and more efficient docking facilities for ferries and passenger boats operating on Lagos waterways.
Alebiosu explained that, unlike traditional wooden jetties, the concrete floating pontoons were designed to adapt to changing water levels, thereby ensuring safer and easier boarding and disembarkation for passengers, adding that the structures were environmentally sustainable and capable of supporting increased passenger and vessel activities.
The commissioner disclosed that installation works were currently ongoing at Agboyi Ketu in Kosofe, Ijegun Egba in Amuwo Odofin, and Bayeku in Ikorodu, while additional strategic waterfront locations had also been earmarked for similar upgrades.
According to him, other jetties scheduled to benefit from the project, include Ebute Ero on Lagos Island, Ijede in Ikorodu, Apa in Badagry, Mile 2 in Amuwo Odofin, and Mowo in Ojo, alongside several other waterfront communities across the state.
The commissioner stressed that the intervention would improve safety on Lagos waterways, enhance commuter experience, promote economic activities in riverine communities, and further strengthen the state’s multimodal transportation system.
He reiterated the commitment of the Lagos State Government to modernising waterfront infrastructure and unlocking the economic and transportation potential of the state’s waterways through sustained investments in the sector.
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