The Lagos State Government has again appealed to the commuting public to embrace water transportation as a reliable alternative means of decongesting the roads, assuring that government will continue to prioritise safety on the waterways.
The Managing Director, Lagos Ferry Services (LAGFERRY), Mr. Abdoulbaq Ladi-Balogun made the appeal during the Greater Lagos Independence Boat Cruise organised by the Agency to celebrate Nigeria’s 60th independence anniversary and showcase the State’s tourism potential on the waterways.
He said, “We are seeing the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu making huge investments and achieving a lot of transformation on the waterways. We want investors and tourists to avail themselves of the progress we have made so far in the sector and the business model we are building”.
Ladi-Balogun stated that the boat cruise, held on LAGFERRY’s 180 tonnages MV ADIMU ORISA, was organised to promote tourism while enabling tourists and social revellers savour the ambience of the Lagos coastline.
“There is no State in Nigeria that can be like Lagos because we have the water, we have the culture and we have the people. We want to showcase the hospitality, tourism and other business potentials the waterways can bring to our economy in Nigeria. We are also doing this to promote our tourism as well as demonstrate that social events can also be held on water”, he noted.
While reiterating government’s commitment to prioritising safety on the waterways and giving assurance that every aspect of LAGFERRY operations are safety inclined, Ladi-Balogun revealed that the Agency has not recorded any accident or mishap since its launch of commercial operations on February 4, 2020, by Mr. Governor.
The Greater Lagos Independence Cruise, held in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Lagos State Waterways Authority and the Lagos State Safety Commission took off from the Five Cowries Terminal at Falomo-Ikoyi and had on board notable dignitaries, government functionaries and winners of LAGFERRY Independence WATERMANIA raffle draws with all participants adhering strictly to the COVID-19 safety protocols.
