The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos Ferry Services (Lag Ferry), Hon. Paul Kalejaiye has said that the Oke-Afa jetty built by the Ejigbo Local Council Development Authority (LCDA) is not in the list of jetties earmarked by the Lagos state government for refurbishment.
It will be recalled that this medium reported recently that the multi-million naira Oke-Afa jetty built by Ejigbo LCDA under the Hon. Kehinde Bamigbetan’s administration was decaying with a threat from erosion thereby calling for an urgent attention of the Lagos state government through the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA).
But reacting to the story, Hon. Kalejaiye who noted that the issue of waterways development was in three folds added that the primary responsibility of control and development of jetties was domiciled in the Ministry of Waterfronts and Infrastructure even as he said that the Ministry was doing a lot.
He informed that jetties that were available for use in Lagos state were also in three categories namely; the Lagos state owned jetties, the federal government owned jetties and private jetties, all of which he said were being visited by the Lagos state government so as to put them on the jacket of the state government.
According to him,”So, what we are just appealing is that if the federal government through the National Inland Waterways Authority will allow the judgment of the Appeal Court concerning the control of our intra waterways, it is going to assist us. As we speak today, they are yet to fully respect that judgment.
“So, if we are allowed to control our resources, we will be able to monitor and control some of those activities. But as we speak today, I am aware such a jetty exist there but it is not part of what is in the jacket of the state government”, he declared.
On her part, the Managing Director of the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), Engr. Abisola Kamson while insisting that there won’t be infrastructure without operation said that in building a jetty, one had to look at the infrastructure which had to do with jetties and accessibility which had to do with the route, hence the reason why Lagos state government was embarking on extensive channelization and dredging to ensure that the routes were actually safe for navigation and that they would actually attract operators to operate there.
“In addition, you look at the operational aspect as well, we of course partner with the private operators who bring in the vessel. LASWA is a regulatory agency, it is not an operating agency, we actually regulate and of course, we have our sister agency, Lag Ferry and the CEO is here and he has actually announced that His Excellency has approved the procurement of world class ferries which will then complement the effort.
“I am sure you will appreciate that the waterways are extensive and large and channelization cannot be done in one day. Channelization is something that can be done in phases and the issue of dredging and channelization is going to be implemented through the Ministry of Waterfronts and Infrastructure”, she added.
Send your news, press releases/articles to augustinenwadinamuo@yahoo.com. Also, follow us on Twitter @reportersinfo and on Facebook on facebook.com/primetimereporters or call the editor on 07030661526, 08053908817.
