Why don’t more Lagos residents use water transportation?
About 17% of Lagos State is made up of lagoons and waterways.
David Mabaje commutes by boat from Ikorodu to Victoria Island, where he works. For him, water transportation is an efficient mode of transportation that saves time and reduces the stress from driving long distances. “I can use the time I would have spent driving to settle in at work and be refreshed and more productive,” he told me.
About 17% of Lagos State is made up of lagoons and waterways, including the Lagos Lagoon, Porto-Novo Creek, Badagry Creeks and the Atlantic Ocean. So, ferry services are offered in many areas, including in Lekki, Ikorodu and Badagry.
However, the waterways are underutilized. Water transportation only accounts for one percent of transportation activities in Lagos State.
“Some people don’t even know they can use boats to commute,” Ayorinde Ebiwonjumi, a boat captain at Ebute jetty in Ikorodu, told me.
Apart from a lack of awareness, safety concerns also deter people from considering water transportation.
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