Welcome FIKI Express, goodbye traffic congestion
Written by ALBERT AKPOR
Tuesday, April 7, 2009






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IF everything goes according to plan, it may be goodbye to the recurring nightmare of frustrating traffic jams on Lagos roads which has defied different government control measures.

This is courtesy of a planned water transport system to be introduced by FIKI Express Marine Supplies and Boats, and if the plan sails through, expectations are that it will be a welcome relief to commuters in the state.

Vanguard Metro gathered that four state-of-the-art 42 seater boats have arrived the state with the licensed company just waiting the state governments’s green light to commence operations. Feelers are that the state government which described the initiative as complementary and laudable has given its nod to the alternative transport system and is putting pen to papers for its immediate take-off.

The initiative which report said is powered by Fidelity Bank have continue to receive commendations from members of the public, especially those whose work places are located on the Island. Mr. Felix Etim is a banker with the corporate headquarters of one of the commercial banks and says he can not wait for the exercise to kick off. “For me, what FIKI Express is about doing is long overdue considering the fact that the entire Lagos State is more of an Island.

The state is surrounded by water, including canals. So I see no reason why none of the successive governments was able to utilize and harness this alternative transport potential to ease the road traffic situation in the state. I understand the Lateef Jakande’s administration tried it in the ‘80s and early ‘90s but it died prematurely.

Now that providence has touched a Nigerian to resuscitate it, my prayer is that the state government should hasten up to grant him all the necessary approvals so that the project can take off. I say this without being selfish because we that have our offices on the Island, suffer the most.

At the close of work we can’t go home immediately because one is bound to spend the better part of the night in the frustrating traffic jam if one dares it. But since there is a project in the pipeline to provide an alternative transport system, it is my fervent prayer that it starts without further delay,” he said.

Another respondent who identified himself as Oke Nnanna, an Insurance worker who also has his office located on the Island could not but praise the project which he said was “timely”. To him, FIKI Express deserves all the necessary support both from the state government and the entire Lagosians for coming out with such a project.

He said: “You know my job entails moving from one location to another, sometimes from the Island to the mainland and of course, you know what it takes to do that on the road. Though I am chauffeur-driven, I could still feel the impact. Sometimes I feign sleep to avoid seeing the long unending traffic jam on the roads. Although the present government of Babatunde Fashola has done so much to ease the situation, the fact remains that the population of car owners and commercial motorists cannot be compared to any elsewhere in the continent.

This is also compounded by the population of people in Lagos. Until the dislodgment of traders in Oshodi, we all knew what it was to drive through either Oshodi Oke or Oshodi Isale. There cannot be anything better than this alternative transport system being touted. The state governor who is development-oriented should please ensure that his commissioners who should oversee the workability of this project are not too overbearing as to discourage the young man. It is a welcome development”.

On his part, the man behind the project, Mr. Taofiki Kayode Balogun who confessed his passion for the boat business said it was more of a complementary effort to that which the state government had already put in place. He claimed to have inherited the boating business from his late father Alhaji Sekoni Akanbi Balogun who he described as lover of hospitality and water business. “ What we are doing did not just start today, it started with our late father who exhibited rare passion for hotel and water businesses. As a child I grew up to like it and have stuck to it ever since.

This project is expected to complement Governor Babatunde Fashola’s developmental efforts in the state. He is just a rare breed and that is why we said we should complement his efforts with the provision of this alternative transport system.

This project is made possible through the support of Fidelity Bank’s MD, Mr. Reginald Ihejiani, who did not hesitate to identify with it immediately I approached him. The 42-seater boats are made in Hamriya Sharjah, United Arab Emirate (UAE) and has features which include two toilets, 32-inch flat screen television, 200 watts Bose speakers and amplifiers, 500 horse power engine and of course, the spacious deck for sight-seeing and partying.

In addition to the boats, I have also brought in 10 yachts which come with the luxury of owner’s bedroom, children’s own bedroom, air conditioners, an adequately equipped kitchenette with hot plates, micro-wave and bathroom in addition to a lounge. This is part of my moderate contribution to complement the developmental efforts of the Governor and boost tourism potentials in the state,” he said.

CITY BRIEF

Olasunkanmi Akoni & Monsurudeen olowoopejo

Occupational hazards: Lagos moves to enforce safety standard rules for employers of labour

Lagos State Government is set to enforce safety standards and guidelines of practice for employers of labour aimed at reducing to the barest minimum, occupational health complaints, diseases or accidents in the work environment in the state.

The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris who disclosed this stressed the need for all employers of labour in the state to ensure that their workers are protected from any form of exposure to hazardous substances, diseases, injuries and accidents as well as promote a sustainable working environment in their work places.

Idris noted that the health, safety and welfare of workers in various places of work in the state is of paramount importance to the state government, stressing that government would never compromise standards in international practice as defined by the International Labour Organisation on occupational health and safety services.

His words: “The law provides for health, safety and welfare of all employees in construction and allied industries. It is aimed at promoting good safety culture as well as to reduce occupational mishaps to the barest minimum as well as ensure compliance, uniformity, continuous performance and penalize violation or non-compliance in the work place”.

Idris expressed satisfaction with the appreciable awareness level that has been attained so far but noted that there was still quite a lot to be done, stressing that there was need for sustained inspection and monitoring. He added that out of the 2559 work places inspected between 2007 and February 2008, 508 were found to fall short of the occupational health safety standard while 2047 were found satisfactory.

“The effect of the state’s dense population and her status as the fastest growing, industrialised and commercial nerve centre of the country have all combined to seriously dealt on health and safety issues which have been highly compromised and taken for granted in the environment, hence the occurrence of occupational health accidents, exposures to diseases, and toxic substances that could have been prevented,” Idris stated.

The commissioner noted that there are many work places in the state with hundreds of employees that compete for relevance in their various sectors and indeed make profit without providing basic occupational health services for their employees, adding that such a scenario would henceforth not be condoled in the state.

“It is based on this and in line with the goal of the Ministry which is to protect, promote and restore the health of Lagosians and to facilitate their reasonable access to health services without financial or other barriers that the state government is determined to tackle health issues at all levels within different sectors.

“Government has also resolved to set guidelines and standards of practice that would bring to the barest minimum, occupational health complaints, diseases or accidents in the work environment in the state,” he said.

He explained that the Directorate of Occupational and Environmental Health in the Ministry has been strengthened in the last two years in order to perform its statutory responsibility of promotion of health, safety and welfare in all work places, be it factories, industries, or offices which encompasses the surveillance of the working environment; identification and evaluation of the environmental factors that may affect the workers’ health; and the assessment of conditions of occupational hygiene and factors that may endanger the health of workers.

http://odili.net/news/source/2009/apr/7/310.html

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