The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, on Thursday, assured that the construction of the Lagos -Calabar railway would soon commence and be ready for inauguration in September
Amaechi gave the assurance in Abeokuta at the launch of the Ogun Mass Bus Transit System.
Amaechi who reiterated the federal government’s commitment to providing effective transportation system in Nigeria, stated that Nigerians owed president Muhammadu Buhari a lot of gratitude.
“Inspite of huge criticisms over foreign loan, President Buhari had been tenacious and committed the borrowings to infrastructural development including construction of rail lines across the nation,” he said.
He lauded Gov. Dapo Abiodun for the mass transit project, describing it as coplimentary to the Lagos-Ibadan rail project
“One important thing about transportation is the internal modality of transportation. No matter what you do about railway, it must end at a terminal.
“When you come down from that terminal, you must move either by leg or bicycle or by road to where you are going to.
“It is the responsibility of the state government to provide another means of transportion the that takes you away from the railway terminal to where you are going to.
“It is worse if what you are conveying is cargo and there is no connecting transportation system.
“Yes, the federal government has provided the railway transportation, but we think that state governments should provide other means of transportation to other parts of the state and I thank you for doing that,” he said.
Abiodun in his remarks stated that the launch of the buses, fitted with Wifi and other gadgets, was in line with the transport master plan of his administration, aimed at providing efficient and affordable means of moving people from one location to another.
He also disclosed that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) would soon be signed between the state and a private firm for the construction of the Olokola Seaport.
“It is important to know that the whole essence of the transportation master plan is for us to efficiently move people either intra-state or inter-state.
“We are the industrial capital of this country and neighbour to the biggest economy which is Lagos State.
“We see the cross – border migration everyday and the trouble our people go through.
“Our transportation master plan has proffered suggestions and solutions for us to deal with this.
“Today, we are launching these mass transit buses. The pilot phase will start from Abeokuta and we will expand it to other cities,” he said.
According to the governor, the state is also developing a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lanes in conjunction with the Lagos State government under the Lagos-Ogun Joint Development Cooperation.
He explained that the buses would move people from Abeokuta through Mowe, Kara axis to Marina as well as from Ifo and Ado/ Odo-Ota axis to Lagos and vice versa.
