President Muhammadu Buhari has formally inaugurated the first phase of the 13km Lagos Rail Mass Transit, Blue Line Rail from Marina to Mile 2 and also witnessed the flag off of the second phase of the project from Mile 12 to Okokomaiko.
To reduce road congestion and make the state economically competitive, the Integrated mass transportation system must work.
The train is one of the long term solution.
Aside from the water transportation, rail is very crucial to moving passengers from one end to another in a mega city like Lagos of 30 million people.
The 27km long blue line rail connecting Okokomaiko to marina can move 500 thousand passers daily.
And that is what president Muhammad Buhari is in Lagos to inaugurate on his working visit to Lagos.
The INTRACITY TRAIN is the city’s first light rail system and a large infrastructure undertaking currently in Lagos state.
President Buhari also joined the state government official for a train ride.
The blue line rail project ends Mr President’s visit to Lagos that is tagged ‘’A Festival of Project Commissioning’’
Other Projects inspected and inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari include – The Lekki Deep Sea Port. The 32-metric tons per hour Lagos Rice Mill at Imota.
The 18.75-kilometer 6-lane rigid-pavement Eleko Junction to Epe Expressway.
The John Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History and a private sector project.
The Lagos state Multi-Modal Transportation System, where rail, water ways will complement and decongest the roads is said to boost the economic prowess of the citizenry and State.
PRESIDENT BUHARI INAUGURATES JOHN RANDLE CENTRE FOR YORUBA CULTURE IN LAGOS
President Muhammadu Buhari has commissioned the John RANDLE CENTRE for Yoruba culture and history in Lagos.
The Centre is built for the preservation of Yoruba culture and a museum to enhance understanding the culture and its people.
The commissioning of the John RANDLE CENTRE was the first assignment for president Muhammadu Buhari at this venue.
The John Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History represents a ground-breaking cultural attraction that will reveal to visitors the story of Yoruba ethnicity, which is said to be one of the most influential ethnicities in Nigeria.
Taking a look into the Centre, several artifacts representing the Yoruba culture are very visible
But there is a twist…. Technology has come into play while sustaining the cultural heritage of the Yoruba.
FLIGHTS RESUME AFTER WORKERS STRIKE
Air passengers both local and international can now heave a sigh of relief as normalcy is gradually returning to airports across the country as seamless passenger facilitation has commenced.
This is coming on the heels of the suspension of strike by aviation unions over the review of salaries of its members in the Nigeria Aviation Handling Company, NAHCO.
The strike was called off after three hours meeting between the unions, the National Union of Air Transport Employees, NUATE, the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, ATSSSAN, and the management of the company.
Flight operations were grounded on Monday morning following the industrial action embarked on by the staff of NAHCO over failure to review their current salaries since June 2022.
Flight disruption due to the strike left scores of passengers both local and foreign stranded at the Lagos airports which spilled over to airports across the country.
Speaking on the strike, Secretaries General of the Unions in NAHCO, the National Union of Air Transport Employees, NUATE and Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, ATSSSAN, Comrades Ocheme Aba and Frances Akinjole noted that its members embarked on the strike because the NAHCO management handled their seven-day ultimatum with kid gloves.
According to them, the management also continued to play on their intelligence through rescheduling of purposeless meetings.
In an agreement reached at the end of the meeting, all staff have been directed to resume work immediately, negotiation of all workers’ welfare to start Wednesday this week and NAHCO management decided to withdraw the suit and vacate the earlier court order obtained.
Reacting to the strike, the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Aviation, Mr. Nnaji Nnolim earlier in a statement had appealed to the unions and management of the company to dialogue and avert further disruption to aviation activities.
Mr. Nnaji urged the union to douse its agitation and show concern for the pains the action would bring on innocent Nigerian travellers both locally and internationally.
Responding to the development, the Group Executive Director, NAHCO, Dr. Olusola Obabori said, the Company engaged the Unions and other stakeholders because they understand the power of negotiation.
