A former Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, has urged the incumbent Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to use his offices to reclaim the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system and expand the waterway transport system.
Fashola gave the advice at the 2024 Lagos Physical Planning Summit on Tuesday.
He emphasised the importance of the government’s intervention to regulate operations of the vehicles and prioritise the BRT system
He spoke on “Rethinking Lagos: A New Vision for a Regional and Integrated Megacity”.
Fashola said that the measure was essential for achieving intermodal transport goals and addressing climate change concerns.
He said: “We must reclaim the BRT from the tyranny of tricycles and mini buses.
“We spent a lot of time, a lot of money, and we gained a lot of fame. For me, the proliferation of motorcycles, tricycles and those mini buses on Lagos roads is in clear conflict with many commitments.
“They are in conflict with the many commitments we have made on climate change because of their high greenhouse gas emissions.
“Our partners, those we signed these agreements with across the world, must be watching us with some concern.”
He highlighted the significance of the BRT system as a pioneering initiative in Africa.
“I want to say that we cannot abdicate our state’s far-reaching work on the Bus Rapid Transit system, which was then the first in Africa.
“That was a model from South America, Brazil, Colombia and all of that,” he said.
Responding, Sanwo-Olu reassured Fashola that the concept of integrated public transport was on track.
He said, “Thank you for reminding us again but we will give you assurance again that our concept of integrated public transportation system is on track.
“I am happy to announce that later today, I am meeting with a group of our financiers and concessionaires, and by next year, additional 2,000 CNG buses will be in Lagos to reflect and bring back all of our BRT Urban Mass Transportation initiative.
“We have seen the issues around Okada (commercial motorcycles), keke Napep (tricycles), korokpe (shuttle buses) and the rest of them.
“Apart from them not fitting with our mass urban transportation system, we understand the feeling of our people, and we are trying to re-organise them but not for them to begin to crowd our highways and our major motorways.
“We believe that alternatives will be provided, adequate alternatives – rail, our water infrastructure, and now the BRT that we will also be giving all of the commuters for public transportation in Lagos.”
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the summit was attended by permanent secretaries, traditional rulers, commissioners, stakeholders in the built industry and Lagos State House of Assembly members, among others.
