Sanwo- Olu's road and rail promises in Lagos

 Lagos state and the current administration celebrated the test run of the freshly built Lagos Blue Line. The 13-kilometre first section, from Mile 2 to Marina, is ready for commissioning.

For convenience, the 27-kilometre Lagos Rail Mass Transit Blue Line from Marina to Okokomaiko was built in sections. When completed in 2023, it will transport over 500,000 passengers.

Governance continuity distinguishes Lagos State from other states. The Babajide Sanwo-Olu (BOS) administration may have escalated this.

Businesses and other economic activity will expand along the Blue Line route, giving inhabitants a fresh lease on life.

This Administration has begun substantial infrastructure projects, however they are not yet complete. The governor has turned Lagos into a massive construction site by trying to finish projects he inherited from past governments.

The Lagos-Badagry Expressway, 27km blue line, and 37km red line rail projects stand out for their strategic socio-economic relevance and size.

The Lagos-Badagry Expressway was rebuilt from four to 10 lanes with dedicated Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lanes and light rail tracks. Former governor Babatunde Fashola awarded this crucial road contract in 2009. We had only hope and expectations until BOS took office.

The Blue Line and Red Line rail projects may not have been in the works for long, but we cannot forget that the Jakande Administration started a similar metro project that was halted by shortsighted elements. Today, these train projects are quiet, which is good.

These project sites are currently bustling, unlike during the four-year governorship of Akinwunmi Ambode. We don't even like this.

After multiple revisions and postponements by the state administration, Sanwo-Olu has promised to finish these projects in 2022, which is wonderful news for us and other Lagos residents.

Blue Line's initial phase met this deadline.

The governor also promised to finish the Imota Rice Mill in Ikorodu and start work on the Fourth Mainland Bridge connecting Lagos to the island.

We thank the governor for completing other projects and promising to finish these continuing ones.

We want to finish the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, the Blue Line, and the Red Line. The government should recognise that Lagosians are emotionally and spiritually attached to these projects without being instructed. The great Obafemi Awolowo preached and practised the practical aspect that will guarantee greater life abundantly.

Rail transit is common in modern economies like Lagos's megacity ambitions. Given Lagos's growing population and short landmass surrounded by vast waterways, it should be the way to go.

We believe that transportation infrastructure—road, rail, or water—drives an economy. They enhance economic activity and connect communities, encouraging investment in agriculture and real estate. More jobs will result.

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The Lagos-Badagry Expressway is strategic. It links Nigeria to its West Coast neighbours, including Benin Republic, Ghana, Togo, and others. The motorway will help Nigeria trade with its neighbours and develop the route. The route could uncover Badagry's tourism potential. African-Americans want to reconnect with Africa, and Badagry is the location to visit and maybe settle.

We also believe this project would boost the state's economy because many Lagosians have invested in property and other enterprises in this corridor and are waiting for the motorway to be finished to move in. Imagine property and business taxes from here. Big.

The Blue Line aims to relieve traffic congestion in the metropolis, notably along the Okokomaiko to Marina corridor, because rail transportation is mass transit. It also promotes economic growth.

Lagos locals and other project observers like us believe that the completion of the Blue Line will provide inhabitants along that corridor a new lease of life, bringing business growth, improved living standards, and higher government revenue.

For these reasons and because the project is in the Lagos blueprint, we praise Governor Sanwo-Olu for meeting his December 2022 completion promise and ask that the project be completed as soon as possible.