Lagos Light Rail Will Begin Operations By December 2016 – Ambode

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos state has said that his administration is working to ensure that the Blue Line of the Light Rail Project begins operations by December 2016.

Governor Ambode, who spoke at the 5th Lagos Corporate Assembly, a forum for public-private sector engagement held at the Banquet Hall of Lagos House, Ikeja, while responding to questions from captains of industries and members of the Organised Private Sector (OPS), described allegations that construction work had stopped on the first phase of the project connecting Mile 2 to CMS as false.

According to him, his administration was also about to conclude the channelization of the waterways in Lagos to improve on water transportation so as to encourage investors and reduce the pressure on the road networks in the state. The governor also assured members of the OPS as well as would-be investors that the state is more than willing and ready to create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive with the overall aim of improving on the socio-economic wellbeing of the citizens.

He said as part of measures to further improve on the creation of enabling environment for businesses to thrive, his administration was also in the process of establishing Lagos Micro Finance Bank, which would go a long way in providing succor for business owners.

Governor Ambode said that the government was also in the process of transforming the Kuramo beach into a World Trade Convention Centre, assuring that he was very much committed to showcasing the economic potentials of the state to the rest of the world.

“The idea is that when we open up the area and construct the Ishawo-Oke-Oko creek road to connect the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway from there, we would have greatly reduced the traffic gridlock on the expressway and then finally put a stop to the activities of pipeline vandals so that we can begin to directly pump petroleum products from Atlas Cove in Apapa to Mosimi, and then the tankers will have no business to come to Lagos to lift product,” Governor Ambode said.

The Governor, who spoke on several issues affecting businesses in the state, assured that he would work on perfecting a methodology for collection of rates, and that he would soon come up with a grand plan to permanently tackle the menace of touts.

On power, Governor Ambode said between now and 2017, he had an agenda to create clusters of Independent Power Projects (IPPs) across the state to improve on power generation and ensure 24hours power supply in Lagos.