Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Sunday said President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda is yielding the expected dividends of democracy in the country.
The governor stated this when he officially handed over three additional trains of 12 coaches for Blue Rail-Line operations at the National Theatre, Iganmu. He noted that the procurement for the additional coaches was made possible through Tinubu’s financial support.
Flanked by other senior government officials like the state’s Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, his Information and Strategy counterpart, Gbenga Omotoso, Special Adviser on Transportation, Sola Giwa and Managing Director, Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, LAMATA, Engr Abimbola Akinajo, among others, Sanwo-Olu, who was full of praises for Mr President, said the delivery of the coaches would boost the Blue Line operations in the state.
He said, “With these new sets, we are doubling our capacity on the Blue Line. There will be reduced travel time, faster turnaround, reduced journey time, and a more reliable train experience. You will begin to see trains after every 10 or 15 minutes.
“About a year and a half ago, Mr. President, in his usual understanding of what sub-nationals are doing under his renewed hope agenda, while we have seen the removal of the subsidy and the introduction of CNG buses, the president deemed it fit to support us financially in delivering the new coaches.
“Now we can see that his agenda works well for us in Lagos. We want to thank the president and all who have been part of our journey.
“Before the end of the year, we will see more new coaches on the Red Line too, which are bigger than the Blue Line.
The President has directed us to do this, and we have done it, so we need to thank him.”
Sanwo-Olu noted that with the new coaches, the cost of running and maintaining the Blue Line by the state will be more affordable, bringing down the cost of operation.
The governor added that the coaches would be installed on the track with all safety measures in place.
“Phase two of the Blue Line from Mile 2 to Okokomaiko is underway, the stations and tracks are coming up, and everything is on schedule,” he assured.
“We urge residents to remain hopeful and confident in this administration. The dividends of democracy are becoming visible, and this is just the beginning,” he said.
The governor further revealed that more rolling stock is expected for the Red Line rail corridor before the end of the year, as part of broader efforts to ease residents’ transportation costs and time constraints.
