The Lagos State Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) to commence the Bus Industry Transition Programme (BITP), an initiative aimed at modernising and formalising public transportation across the state.
The agreement, signed on Wednesday by the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation (MOT), the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) and the two transport unions, marks a key milestone in the government’s efforts to integrate informal transport operators into a more structured and regulated public transport system.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, the Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Oluwaseun Osiyemi, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Olawale Musa, described the BITP as a legacy initiative designed to align the formal and informal transport sectors.
He said the programme would be implemented gradually to improve public transportation across Lagos and urged transport unions to work closely with the government to ensure its successful implementation.
According to him, the programme’s ultimate goal is to make public transportation safer, more efficient and more convenient for commuters.
LAMATA Managing Director, Engr. Abimbola Akinajo, said the initiative seeks to modernise the state’s predominantly informal public transport system by integrating traditional transport operators into a structured and regulated framework.
She urged transport operators to embrace the programme, saying their participation would be critical to building a more efficient, reliable and sustainable transport system.
In separate remarks, the Lagos State Chairman of the NURTW, Alhaji Mustapha Adekunle Sego, and the Chairman of RTEAN, Comrade Samson Ajala Adepeju, welcomed the initiative and pledged the full support of their unions for its implementation.
The Bus Industry Transition Programme forms part of the Lagos State Government’s broader transport reform agenda aimed at improving service delivery, enhancing safety standards, strengthening regulation and developing a more integrated public transport network to meet the mobility needs of the state’s growing population.
