Lagos State Governor, Akinwumi Ambode, woos investors to water transportation business

Lagos State governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode on Friday expressed the commitment of his administration to provide critical infrastructure and enabling environment for investors to participate in the ongoing efforts to rev up water transportation, saying the sector remains critical to solving the traffic congestion affecting the State.

Speaking at a Roundtable on Water Transportation organised by the State Government, and held at Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, the governor said though the sector had been left unattended to over the years, he said his administration is nonetheless now committed more than before to fully harness the potential of the water transportation to the benefit of the people and economic prosperity of the State.

He said the chaotic traffic situation in some parts of the State in recent times and the pressure on the road with attendant danger to lives and property, made the need to forge ahead with the reforms in the water sector being championed by his administration even more compelling.

According to him, “The question to ask is this, what has brought us to this despicable situation 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 government to provide for the needs of some 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.”

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