At the event, President Buhari supervised the signing of contract by Sanwo-Olu for the commencement of the project’s second phase, which will cover a 14-kilometre stretch from Mile 2 to Okokomaiko.
By Jeffrey Agbo
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday inaugurated the Blue Line Mass Transit and took a ride on it from the Marina Station to National Theatre Station.
This historic moment climaxed Buhari’s two-day working visit to Lagos.
The inaugural ride on the train was performed in company of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, his Deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, and other invited dignitaries.
The electric-powered train made a round trip between the iconic Marina station and National Theatre, enthralling crowds of citizens along the corridor.
The completed tracks, spanning 13 kilometres in the first phase, extend from Mile 2 to Marina, covering five stations. Lagos Metropolitan Transport Authority (LAMATA) constructed the rail infrastructure, which will transport 250,000 passengers daily.
At the event, President Buhari supervised the signing of contract by Sanwo-Olu for the commencement of the project’s second phase, which will cover a 14-kilometre stretch from Mile 2 to Okokomaiko.
In his remarks, Governor Sanwo-Olu thanked the President for the state visit to commission several landmark projects, noting that since 1999 the state has not enjoyed this level of support from the Federal Government.
On the benefits of the project, the Governor stated that it would reduce travel time, improve the quality of life of citizens and make Lagos one of the most resilient mega-cities in Africa that would compete favourably with other megacities around the world.
Sanwo-Olu hinted that he would invite the President again to Lagos to commission the Red Line, which he described as a bigger rail corridor project compared with the Blue Rail Line.
‘‘This iconic Marina Station would be the largest and busiest in Africa. It has the capacity to process about 450 passengers per minute, meaning that in an hour this station can process about 25,000 passengers,’’ he said.
Hamzat, the Lagos Deputy Governor, traced the pioneering role of the presidential candidate of the APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in envisioning and laying the foundation for the project, as governor of Lagos State.
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‘‘Talking about the Blue line without making a reference to the ground-breaking contributions of the presidential candidate of our great party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is like talking about the beach without the ocean.
‘‘A visionary leader, Asiwaju Tinubu pioneered the idea of the Lagos Blue Line and many other revolutionary initiatives.
‘‘The Tinubu administration developed the Strategic Transport Master Plan (STMP), which laid out the foundation for a network of robust and modern transport infrastructure befitting a 21st century City-State, such as ours.
‘‘The master plan has six rail lines and one monorail, 14 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridors, over 20 water routes and a number of major roads.
‘‘Thanks to Asiwaju’s creative leadership, today, we are making history with the completion of this rail line,’’ he said.
Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria Cui Jianchun said the completion of the first phase of the project is a demonstration of the harmony in the bilateral relations between Nigeria and China.
‘‘It is a harmony in integration, diversity, and development,’’ he said.
Earlier, before leaving Lagos for Dakar, Senegal, President Buhari also inaugurated John Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History, after which he toured the facility.
The John Randle Centre, originally built in 1928, used to serve as a hub for cultural tourism, recreation and entertainment. Its reconstruction started in 2018.
Sanwo-Olu said the Centre fitted into the State’s overall objectives in Arts, Culture and Tourism as stipulated in the recently launched 20-year Arts and Tourism master plan towards making Lagos a tourism destination.
The Centre has an exhibition gallery, which chronicles the history of Yoruba, cultural evolution and journey from the race’s origins, through present day, to the future.
