The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Abimbola Akinajo, has reaffirmed the state’s commitment to developing a fully integrated and sustainable transport system.
He said Lagos is steadily transitioning toward a multimodal transport future with public-private partnerships at its core.
Speaking at a professorial chair guest lecture organised by the Lagos State University (LASU) School of Transport and Logistics, Akinajo highlighted the authority’s achievements, ongoing projects and ambitious plans aimed at easing urban mobility across the state.
“With over five million Cowry cards in circulation and usable on every regulated mode of transportation in Lagos, we have largely achieved a unified payment system.
“But that’s just one part of our bigger vision for a truly integrated intermodal network,” she said.
The guest lecture had academics, policymakers, students and transport professionals gathering to examine LAMATA’s role in shaping Lagos into a model megacity with robust mobility solutions.
Akinajo noted that the authority had embarked on several initiatives to increase transportation options, reduce environmental impacts, and create opportunities for private sector investment.
These include the deployment of CNG-powered buses, plans for 500 electric buses, solar-powered terminals and an evolving rail network that integrates with bus and ferry services.
“We don’t want to be a mono-fuel agency. The goal is to be multi-fuel, environmentally conscious, and economically viable.
“By the fourth quarter of 2026, we plan to add not less than 2,000 buses to the fleet and introduce 500 electric buses to serve strategic corridors like Iyana Ipaja,” she added.
LAMATA’s investment in infrastructure has also led to the development of bus terminals in areas like Ikeja, Oshodi, Yaba and Ojota, as well as interchanges at Marina and Mile 2 designed to allow passengers to switch transport in less than an hour.
The LAMATA boss stressed the importance of public-private partnerships in scaling transport solutions, pointing to the success of regulated bus operators and the emerging role of private investors in rail development, including the African Development Bank-backed Purple Line and the privately funded Green Line.
Despite the strides made, Akinajo acknowledged existing challenges, including the unstable macroeconomic environment, limited right of way, delayed policy alignment and low public awareness.
“We build infrastructure, but if people don’t align with it, it fails. Public education and behavioural change are vital. Change is inevitable and necessary for Lagos to become the city we all dream of,” she said.
In his opening remarks, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, LASU, Prof. Oseni Taiwo Afisi, described the lecture as a ‘milestone’ in the university’s efforts to foster collaboration between academia and industry.
“LAMATA, under Akinajo’s leadership, has driven remarkable changes from BRT expansion to the historic launch of the Blue and Red Line rail systems. We at LASU are proud to be thought partners in this transformation.”
Afisi also appealed to LAMATA to restore the once functional 10-bus scheme for LASU staff and students, suggesting a phased operational structure to accommodate both academic and off-season periods.
