LaudableXX:
Bros, in fact it is just as if you read my mind.  I still cannot understand why we cannot have an efficient ferry service linking different parts of Lagos, with regular scheduled trips and predictable timing. There used to be a very efficient ferry service between Mile 2 and Marina in the old days. Within 20 minutes, you were in Lagos Island.  Many residents of Festac, Amuwo Odofin, Alaba etc used to make it their primary mode of transport in those days. The passengers would enjoy fresh air and zero traffic all the way, once they got on to the ferry.
Today, the Mile 2 ferry terminal is a shadow of itself, with abandoned and disused boats littering the yard.  And the Orile-Mile 2 traffic keeps getting worse by the day.
In Lagos, one should be able to get a boat from Falomo to Badore in Ajah, with a stopover at Lekki Phase 1, and VGC Ikota, if things were running properly. It would reduce traffic on Ozumba Mbadiwe Avenue and Lekki-Epe Expressway tremendously. But the state govt has refused to look in that direction. I guess their toll gates would stop making money, the day this ferry route is opened up.
There are a few existing ferry routes within Lagos run by boats that ply Marina/Ebute-Ero to Ikorodu, Marina to Apapa, Ebute-Ero to Falomo, Ijede to Badore, Apapa to Marina etc.  But there is an urgent need to open up more routes, and put several more boats/ferries that run a regular schedule at the disposal of passengers, dredge the waterways, and also ensure better standards of safety on the waterways.
One of the Oworonsoki jetties inside that district, has been closed for years. Why?  All that needs to be done is to renovate it and open it up to the public. But instead of doing that, Ambode is sand-filling another part of Oworonsoki at the end of 3rd mainland bridge, in a bid to build a world class terminal. why can't he fix the old one and open it up for use? Because he is so stupid and still worshipping his dumpfather. |
Lagos waterways… A hidden treasure untapped | 07 October 2016 |
For a maritime operator, Captain Ishola Adewale, to ensure a better appreciation of water transport in the state, there should be adequate publicity on the advantages of water transport over other modes of transport, including its availability, safety, comfort and quick delivery time. He also insisted on dredging of the waterways for better navigation.
He said, “The issue of the waterways being dredged to make it navigable, is important. The state also needs to ensure that there are jetties on the routes and create awareness to encouraging people to use water transport; to let people know that they can save a lot of time, using the waterways than using road with the hectic traffic jams”.
He continued, “There should be a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement that will enable government to provide conducive environment for operators, to take full advantage of the opportunities. For instance, government can bring in good and efficient boats, then allow the private sectors to run them. I think that would be a good way forward”.
He also suggested the provision of navigation buoys along dredged routes to make navigation better. This, he said, would allow the captains to know the deep and shallow ends on the routes, adding, “They need to mark the channels so that people will know where to pass.”
On the water surface are waste products, floating and moving in different directions. The operators say such waste objects could get hooked to the engine of the boat, and create untoward consequences including damaging the engine.
Majority of those who operate the canoes and fibre boats are young people, who also live in the small island communities, that dot the Liverpool and Ojo areas of Lagos.
According to one of the operators, the business is not bad in spite of the challenges. On the average, he takes home N6,000 and N10,000 a day depending on the level of patronage. He also said that though fibre boats run faster compared to wooden boats, most of the local operators prefer the wooden boats because they are more durable. He says wooden boats suffer less damage when they hit any hard object.
The Managing Director of Holywabab Nigeria Enterprises, Mr. Kudus Idris, whose company is into building of fibre boats, stated that he charges between N280,000 and N300,000 to construct a 15-seater fibre boat, which takes two weeks to finish.
Repair and servicing of boat engines are other aspects of waterways economy. This is besides those who engage in fishing. One of the elders of Nanti Village, Chief Esau Aduralokun said fishing business is, however, dying out, as only the elder members of the communities along that stretch of the lagoon engage in it. The young ones, he said, are not interested in fishing any more, preferring instead in search of white-collar jobs.
However, if you want to experience the pounding surf of the Lagos Lagoon, you only need to open your window, if you are in the waterfronts of Ikoyi or Victoria Island, and see members of the boat club.
According to Abayomi Sonuga, owner of Bras Motors, there are many like him who are not able to live their dream and fulfill their aspiration, because they are discouraged by the lack of mooring opportunities — where to park their boats.
“The few boat clubs in Lagos — Apapa Boat Club, Lagos Auto Boat Club and Civic Centre Boat Club — the problem, which members face is lack of after sales service, availability of spare parts and engineers. They also don’t enjoy that full complement of owning boats, because our waterways are dirty, so, the boats suffer a lot of over heating, and most of the time, they are down,” he said.
The Lagos-born investor revealed that what should be a pleasure ride very often results in agony driving round Lagos, largely due to traffic gridlock. “We need to encourage people who are investing in our marine transport. Recently, government placed a 70 per cent duty on boat and marine related import. Marine transportation is key to unlocking our potentials even in other sectors, and to reduce the losses.
What is happening in Apapa is very instructive, with the total lockdown that is reported there, for some time now. The Lagos State government should build jetties.
If I’m coming from VGC to the Marina or Apapa, I do not need to go on the road. You can get to Oworonshoki in 10 minutes from the Island. It takes 15 minutes to get to Ikorodu. You can get to Port Harcourt in seven hours of luxury cruising. If we have passenger boats that can take between 100 and 200 persons to these destinations, that would be very good. Every year, the Lagos state government stages a regatta to complement the aquatic environment of the state; it should not stop there. Investors in water transport will provide more employment,” he quipped.
https://guardian.ng/features/weekend/lagos-waterways-a-hidden-treasureuntapped/
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