The Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) has promised Lagos residents to expect the Omi-Eko project in the year 2025.
The General Manager of LASWA, Mr Oluwadamilola Emmanuel, gave the assurance in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos.
According to Emmanuel, the Omi-Eko project is a foreign investment to significantly boost the inland waterways.
“This is a project that will run for five years in terms of the actual set-up and implementation.
“We are going to introduce and see within four to five years the influx of electric ferries, jetties and terminals upgrade, dredging of the inland waterways and of course capacity building for relevant agencies that will be implementing the project,” he said.
Emmanuel said that the year 2024 had progressively worked for the authority as they had embarked on numerous collaboration to ensure safety of the waterways.
He said that LASWA had effectively collaborated with the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA).
The general manager added that the authority, for the first time, called for a stakeholders meeting with all the commissioners in all inland waterways state in Abuja.
He said the stakeholders meeting was awesome as it enabled constructive dialogue for waterways safety.
“Lagos is a reference point for safety of waterways in the country.
“In year 2024, we have also seen the introduction of an international standard ferry made locally by the Caveton Marine and this is called the Omi-Bus.
“The Omi-Bus launched this year, was handed over to private operators and Lagos Ferry Services. But largely, about 90 per cent of them was handed over to private operators for them to effectively monitor.
“We have been able to improve on our monitoring of the waterways through the use of technology, and our control room has moved from just covering four locations to nine.
“Generally, we have improved the standard of infrastructure, construction of jetties and terminals across the state by the Ministry of Waterfront and Infrastructure Development,” he said.
On challenges faced this year, the LASWA boss noted that challenges experienced, provided them with opportunities.
He said that challenges of cost cutting, was resolved by collaboration.
“We just don’t see them as challenges but opportunities, and that is why we had to optimise the opportunity and explore them for our benefits,” he said.
He said that LASWA conducted training for both internal and external stakeholders, sensitised boat captains, passengers and donated life jackets to all stakeholders, thereby ensuring safety.
He advised Lagos residents to always wear their lifejackets, adding that they should always speak out when they see something.
