Posted on November 14, 2017
By Joshua Bassey, Business Day
Lagos has begun the dredging and channelisation of four commercial ferry routes in a bid to upscale water transportation in a state bedeviled by road congestion.
The routes being dredged are out of the 30 identified to drive water transportation and boost the tourism potential of the state.
Adebowale Akinsanya, the commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, says the four routes would be followed with another two, while work on the remaining twenty-four would be implemented in phases within the next four years.
The routes are 10km Ebute Ojo to Marina, 7km Bayeku to Ajah, 16km Ijede to Marina and 6km Ijede to Badore.
All the routes are with 40 metres width and minimum of four metres deep into the waters.
It will be recalled that the state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, on Sunday, commissioned three boats as part of the ground plan to escalate activities along the state’s inland waterways.
“Essentially, what we are seeing is the ongoing channelisation which is creating road on water. Our intention is to make any boat or ferry sail freely on our waterways so they don’t run into the issue of being grounded.
“These routes being channelised are part of the thirty routes already identified by the state government. We are laying the ground work to make things easy for the ferries to travel safely. We are doing this to demonstrate our commitment to water transportation. Through this, we want tourists who travel to our state to be safe while travelling on our waterways.
“Right now, we are embarking on four and very soon, we will start another two. So, the project is about four years programme. Aside channelisation, we also need ferries and terminals to complete the package and all those are being done as well. Some jetties numbering about 10 are under construction and more ferries are still coming which are part of the plan to fully tap into the potential of the waterways,” says Akinsanya.
On illegal dredging and other unwholesome practices, Akinsanya says government is intensifying enforcement of relevant laws, assuring that no stone will be left unturned in securing the waterways.
“Within the last couple of weeks, officials of the state government have been going around the state to look at it. With the Court of Appeal judgment which upheld the powers of the state government on inland waterways, we have taken that initiative going round.
“About two or three weeks ago, some of the people involved in illegal dredging were arrested and being prosecuted right now. So, enforcement has been an ongoing thing.
“Luckily for the state government, we have more boats to cover more distance on the waterways. Before, we were limited but with the three boats unveiled last Sunday by Governor Ambode, we are everywhere. It’s something we need to take care of and we are determined to enforce relevant laws guiding the waterways,” he adds.
Also, Steve Ayorinde, the commissioner for information and strategy, describes the recent inspection tour of the waterways by state officials as a vote of assurance on what government is doing to improve the waterways. He adds that it is also in sync with the integrated transport system of the state government.
According to him, “We can no longer rely on roads alone and so you see what we are doing in terms of rail and also the commitment and emphasis that the governor is putting on water transportation. The advantage of this is that it does not go alone, it drags with it tourism attractions which is why we are stopping over on this trip in Ilashe beach house.
“The sort of investment that is going on there is the type of thing that the Lagos State government will like to encourage and to also draw them into the tax net to see how revenue can be generated to the State and then look in total at what other mechanisms they require from government,” Ayorinde says.
Source: Business Day
