It’s part of Lagos State’s Master Plan to Have Cable Car System and One Private Firm Has Started
If we have fund available today, the whole of Lagos would have become a construction site. Lagos State is expanding – 86 people are entering Lagos every hour. Every hour these people are coming and are not going back. Therefore, what we need to do is to k
we’ve ensured that when work is ongoing at the corridor, the other carriageway is left for motorists to use. Also, while work is ongoing at the other carriageway we should open the BRT corridor for people to use. You’ll agree with me that area is densely populated; there’s no way the level of construction in that area won’t have impacts on the people. I appeal to our people with the assurance that we have them in mind and that’s why we’re trying to do what we’re doing to make sure we finish the project on time. The ongoing project is to make life better, comfortable and for them to have a new experience in terms of transportation.
Would the impact of the construction not have been less burden some if much of the work takes place late in the night, at the weehours?
It is part of the things that we have on the table for the contractor to use. The state government had to put street lights in that axis. At the moment, the challenge of the contractor working in the dead of the night is that of security. Right now, it’s not safe to let the workers work at that period of time. We’re looking at that. Also, when the project started they’ve cut all the cables and providing light was impossible, therefore making the construction site pitch-dark in the night. We’re trying to work around those issues now.
How has it been running this s tr agency?
It’s been a good journey so far. I’ll say very interesting in the sense that if you saw how LAMATA started. LAMATA started from the point of view that the state needs an agency that’ll be able to bring – people were working in silos then; you had the ministry of transportation and you have the local government chairmen doing their own thing. However, with the wisdom of Lagos State government and the World Bank the need for an agency that focuses basically on transportation in Lagos State – that’s why LAMATA was created and the agency has been able to develop a strategy called Strategic Transport Master Plan (STMP) for Lagos State. That defines what needs to be done until 2032 to bring comfort to the increasing number of people in Lagos. Through that master plan, we’re expected to have 14 BRT routes, six rail lines – monorail – and then 26 water routes. We’ve
ategic started implementing this. We’ve put in place two BRT routes. The third one is the Oshodi-Abule Egba route. And, of course, the rail system: you’ll see its implementation. We’ve started with the blue line. We’re equally negotiating the Marina express on the red line. We have other lines. The strategic transport master plan has been able to give us direction on how to tread. Today, everyone can see the bus reform we’re doing. This is what gave birth to all those things we’re doing.
Can you expatiate on the BR T corridors and will they be ready for operation?
Talking about the BRT corridors, the first one is from Marina to Mile 12. The second one is from Mile 12 to Ikorodu which has been completed. We also have from Oshodi to Abule Egba. The fourth one will be from Abule Egba down to the boundary between Lagos and Ogun State. Similarly, we have Apapa-Oshodi expressway; that’s another corridor down to Apapa. I think the Federal Government have taken over that road now to rehabilitate it. We also have Isolo and Iyana Oba down to Abule Egba. Those are the major BRT routes.
The other ones are feeder routes. We call them quality bus corridors. The other one is the LagosBadagry route. We’ll start operations there very soon – before the end of this year, from there down to Okokomaiko.
Those are the trunk roads and then we have what we call quality bus corridors which are the feeder routes – and we have plans the feeder roads too. Because when you have the trunk roads, you have high-occupancy vehicles that can ply roads like the Ikorodu Road. And then you have midibuses – 32-seater – bringing people to the trunk roads. That’s the network we’re doing.
Our concentration isn’t only on the trunk roads. We have plans for the feeder roads. The starting of operations of the Badagry route will be up to the Trade Fair Complex. The road is ready for use.
A lot of works are going on in terms of building corridor sand terminals. People want to enjoy all facilities sp ringing up. When will they begin to enjoy the facilities like the Ikeja Terminal?
This thing is a network. Some people when they leave their houses for work may have to board three or four buses before they get to their destination. So, we have Ikeja Terminal – that terminal alone will service about 23 routes. Our plan is to do these things in phases – now all the infrastructures aren’t ready. Apart from the bus terminals we also have to talk about the bus shelters. Then, we have the buses too. Lagos is a smart city; what we want to operate is what we call ‘smart operation’, where people come you’re not using cash. It’ll be electronic ticketing to enter the bus. So, everything must be ready and that’s what we’re working at achieving. Our aim is to make sure these things start before the end of this year. What we’re trying to run is a holistic system of operations which will be done in phases. We can’t go state-wide. Even the phase one that we call Ikeja zone: that’s what we’re still working on now. Until we’re able to put everything there we’re not going to come out. But very soon before the end of this year we’re coming out.
Can you give us an update on the Marina blue line a sit appears you have substituted one contractor for the other?
We don’t need to water down what CCCC has done. CCCC has done a great job. They started the project. And let me explain to you: for the rail project, you have different components. We have what we call fixed infrastructure which is civil work and that’s what was given to CCCC. They’ve started it and they’re going to finish it. What we’ve signed with Aston is what we call movable infrastructure and then the systems that’ll run the rail – signalling, instrumentation and telecommunication. Rail system, unlike the bus you buy and then you begin to use, requires instrumentation, telecommunication, signal ling, power. These were not part of the contract given to CCCC. Their contract was mainly to design and build fixed infrastructure which are the civil works that we’re seeing and the tracks being laid. On these tracks we’re going to put what we call the third rail – it’s not part of CCCC’s contract. It’s the third rail that’ll communicate the power to run the rail system – the coaches. These are different projects entirely. Building a rail system isn’t something you start today and you complete say in three years. We’ve been a lot; we’ve had third-party encounters. Without mentioning names, we’ve had problems with some oil companies that when they brought their barges until they moved we had to suspend work for about three weeks. The rail construction is going through the lagoon now. There, there are a lot of wreckages that have to be removed before construction can continue. We’ve never stopped this project for one day but because of issues we’re encountering around this project that’s why the work seems to be slow. So, Aston is to provide the rolling stock, that is, the coaches – provide the third rail, signalling, telecommunications and then what we call station fit-out and to put the station in a functional and operational state. That is what Aston will start doing and that’s going to get the project to passenger operation.
Against the backdrop that Lagos is a mega city, what challenges does LA MATA face?
I won’t say LAMATA – Lagos State government in the sense that Lagos State wants to do a lot. The first challenge – like I told you we have the Strategic Transport Master Plan – is fund. If we have fund available today, the whole of Lagos would have become a construction site. Lagos State is expanding – 86 people are entering Lagos every hour. Every hour these people are coming and are not going back. Therefore, what we need to do is to keep developing and improving on our infrastructure. However, there’s a snag: people aren’t paying taxes – they’re not paying enough. Every money received by this administration is being used to provide adequate infrastructure for people. Also, the current state of the economy isn’t helping people. If you go to the bank, what they’ll give you is short-term loans. They can’t give you long-term loans. And, you can’t use short-term loans for all these kinds of projects. That’s why Lagos State government, through LAMATA, is ready to work with investors to make all these things happen. Like I said we have six rail lines: we have the blue, red, and green, orange, purple and then you have the monorail. Therefore, Lagos State is ready with the people. The reality is that it’s the foreign investors that have been coming. Our people aren’t even showing interests. We have people who have the money but they’re not showing interests. The rail system is something that can be there for 50 years and someone is still making his money. The government can’t do it alone – not just in Lagos State, all over the world the government can’t do it alone. We need the involvement of private investors.
What has Lag os Stated one to help people find these projects attractive as something theycaninvestin?
If you look at our PPP law, it is very attractive. The state government is trying to make our environment conducive for people to come and invest in. You know a lot of people do not come and find out what the state government is doing. But foreigners are coming now. We are discussing with Marina Express already. Marina Express is a consortium of local and foreign investors. But we have not