Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos state, says his administration will
not scrap the yellow buses popularly known as ‘danfo’, but remodel them to meet
modern standards.
In February, Frederick Oladeinde,
commissioner for transportation, had said the yellow buses do not have a place in the transportation
master plan of the state.
But speaking when he featured on
a Channels Television programme on Sunday, Sanwo-Olu said “it will be unfair”
to scrap ‘danfos’, adding that they have served Lagos residents for a long
time.
“It will be unfair for us. These are important stakeholders. They served our citizens. They served Lagosians for a long time. It became the print of Lagos, the yellow buses,” he said.
“Let’s be very creative. Let’s see how we can
remodel them without scrapping them out. We are collaborating with them. You
know that our citizens now deserve newer models of cars.”
LOCAL FIRM TO REPLACE BUSES
DESTROYED DURING #ENDSARS
The governor said the state has
signed an agreement with a local bus manufacturing company to replace buses
burnt during the #EndSARS protest.
He said although the buses were
insured, the insurance did not cover “unforeseen circumstances”.
“Absolutely, we are trying to
replenish them, we have started the compensation and the interesting thing is
that we are working with a local bus manufacturing company,” he said.
“And it is going to come almost
with the same specifications of the ones that were unfortunately destroyed so
that Lagosians can have the same feel of the buses.
“They were insured. Insurance
will never cover you 100 percent.”
ONE MODE OF TRANSPORTATION NOT
IDEAL FOR LAGOS
Speaking on transportation in the
state, Sanwo-Olu said a mega city like Lagos cannot make use of one mode of
transportation, noting that his administration is working towards exploring
other options.
“One-third of Lagos is water.
That is natural. It will be unfair on us not to utilise that opportunity. Lagos
in terms of area is also even below the sea level,” he said.
“About 33 percent of our landmass
is water. We need to create that infrastructure. The infrastructure
‘PDP DIDN’T GIVE LAGOS RIGHT
OF WAY FOR LIGHT RAIL’
Speaking on the construction of
light rail in the state, the governor said the leadership of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) at the federal level did not back the project when it
was initiated.
The governor said his
administration is determined to construct red and blue light rail lines across
the state.
“Lagos was not with the Federal
Government at that time so the PDP government never gave Lagos the right of way
from the red line now which is from Oyingbo, Ebute Metta all the way to Agbado
which was where we all grew up, that rail corridor,” he said.
“When I was in BRF’s government, we never
actually started the red line then. It was the blue line that we started in
2010. If we step back then, you remember we have always had that rail corridor.
“So the federal government never
gave us that opportunity to be able to do the red line then. So it is just now
that we are doing the red line.”
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