LAGFERRY MD BALOGUN ENCOURAGES LAGOSIANS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WATERWAYS AS IT RECORDS ZERO INCIDENCE SINCE FEB. 2020; READY TO TAKE SUPER EAGLES TO AFCON IN CAMEROON
By Oki Samson, Trek Africa Newspaper
Managing Director, Lagos Ferry Services Lagosians, LAGFERRY, Hon. Abdoulbaq Ladi Balogun.
The waterways in lagos have enjoyed increased economic activities and efficient movement of people and services in the two years of the administration of Gov. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu. Within the time span, the waterways has conveyed over 500,000 people across the state. It also enjoyed a momentous first when the Super Eagles of Nigeria were transported to the Republic of Benin for their AFCON qualification game. But the game changer in this sector is the appointment of Hon. Abdoulbaq Ladi Balogun as the Managing Director of Lagos Ferry Services (popularly admired by Lagosians as Lagferry) by the government.
In a recent exclusive chat with Oki Samson of Trek Africa Newspaper rubbed mind with this excellent administrator on how he has come being able to move the government agency into a pride for Lagosians. The former Lagos legislator also spoke on further plans to even make the water services better.
Trek Africa: Tell us about your feats and achievements in Lag Ferry?
Hon. Balogun: Glory be to God and thanks to Mr. Governor for displaying the passion to make sure that water transportation in Lagos is taking shape. We never had it so good until two years ago when the Governor mounted the saddle of leadership in Lagos State. He has given a new vista and what can happen on the waterways and the potentials of the waterways.
We have seen what we can do in terms of leisure and in terms of tourism, we are being strengthened, Lag Ferry as an agency to see what we can do to strengthen the commerce of Lagos State. Either at the federal or sub-federal level, for the first time, we are having a fleet with twenty boats. It has never happened before, not even at the federal level. Twenty boats at a go, we have never had that before, all thanks to Mr Governor. In another sphere, we are trying to attract private investors into the sector because the government cannot do it alone. Water transportation as it is right now; we are still scratching the surface. We need nothing less than three hundred boats to be on the waters every day. As it is now we have less than a hundred boats and a couple of them are not at that corporate level.
We have demonstrated the capacity of what we can do to attract the traffic on the water way. This is because as a mega city, twenty million people there is nothing you can do and rely on one mode of transportation. We have one third of the land mass covered by water. We have to make use of what God has given us; the abundance of water, 3,577 square kilometres of water, so we have to make use of what God has given us.
So that means across the length and breadth of Lagos; five divisions and three senatorial districts, there is a possibility for you to get anywhere through the waterways and that is what the Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has been doing with the Lagos State Ferry Services and the Lagos State Water Authority which is the regulatory arm of water services.
Trek Africa: In the last one and a half years, how many people have travelled through the waterways?
Hon. Balogun: We have five hundred thousand and still counting that is been achieved in 296 days of operation. In 296 days, we have moved over five hundred thousand people. That is Lag Ferry alone. We are not talking of the private or local operators. We used about twelve boats to achieve that and now the governor has added another seven to make it twenty. So now we are saying that we are going to double the capacity of our commuters in the next few months.
Can you remember, in 2020 that we started our operations, Covid set in and Endsars set in. So those factors militated against our operations. Here we are now and awareness is being created and a lot of people have beginning to move into the water ways. For you to get your business done now; to save your time and be very productive, you have to of what other ways can I take to get to my business, to get to my destination and to get to my office apart from the raods. And the only options are through the waterways and that is what Mr. Governor wants to let the Lagosians and the whole world know about our waterways.
Everywhere in the world, I am telling you, the ocean economy is 91 trillion dollars annually all over the world. I am telling you. We need to key into that and take advantage of that. So we are building the ecosystem with an eye on basing it on the water channels. You see, a lot of boatbuilders are now building their boats in Lagos State. Thanks to the Governor. He created an enabling environment for that to happen. We now have Yamaha, Suzuki building the engines and putting them into merchandise, there are a lot of things you can do; creating the ecosystem and the transportation marine entirely in Lagos State. And that is what we are trying to look into. Creating more jobs and creating lasting solutions for the people of Lagos State and the businesses in Lagos State.
We are also helping in recreating the logistics of the corporate organizations in Lagos State who have their businesses around Apapa and you know the traffic situations there and we already have a couple of business that we have provided solutions for and ensure that they keep their workforce engaged.
Trek Africa: How safe are the waterways and what steps are you taking to encourage people to make use of them in Lagos State?
Hon. Balogun: The safest way of transportation by my experience is water transportation. I say that by experience because in the last couple of months and even the last two years, I have been in the saddle and I have travelled by rail, travelled by air and of course, I have travelled by water and comparatively, the safest way I can say is to travel by water.
The first thing that we do is to model our services along the regulatory guidelines been outlined by LASWA, the Lagos State Regulatory Authority and NIWA, the Federal Regulatory Authority. We ensure we don’t do overloading and we adhere to the stipulated time for our operations which is 6.30/in the morning to 6.00 in the evenings. And you must wear our standard life jacket and that jacket can keep you afloat for a minimum of six hours on the water. Of course, within thirty minutes to one hour, help will come.
But I am telling you, at Lag Ferry, from the beginning of our operations to the very end, safety is the watch word. And I want to emphasized, from February 26, 2020 that we started operations till now, we have not recorded a single incidence.
Trek Africa: The Nigerian football team to Cotonou took advantage of the water ways, what initiated that move?
Hon. Balogun: Thank you very much. It was historic and a milestone for us and the government of Lagos State as a whole. This is because the biggest sport brand in Nigeria today is our National Football Team. For you to have that assemblage of football stars coming on board our ferry boats en route international water route mega for us. We were so excited to be part of it. It was a partnership arrangement between the Lagos State Government and the Nigerian Football Federation.
So we were saddled with that responsibility of moving the Super Eagles from Lagos by water to the Benin Republic.
After the game, I chatted with some of the players and they were happy about the fact that they travelled by water because it added to their productivity and the performance showed because they actually had a victory over the Squirrels of Benin in Cotonou. That is what I have been telling you that a journey you can do in two to five hours by road you can actually do in thirty minutes by water and with the time you are saving, you actually get rejuvenated.
There is no air pollution on the waterway which is actually another health advantage of travelling on the waterways.
For us, going with the Super Eagles to next year African Cup of Nations in Cameroon is what we are set to do now after we have achieved that of Benin Republic.
Trek Africa: How do you intend to take advantage of technology in your operations?
Hon. Balogun: For us, we have already infused technology into our operations. You get on our boats, you enjoy free Wi-Fi and we have a lot of entertainment facilities on board that are all technologically enabled.
