Lagos: Mrs Sunkanmi Oyegbola, Permanent Secretary, Public Service Office, Lagos State, has urged the management and staff of the Lagos State Ferry Service (LAGFERRY) to contribute more to the operations of the organisation.
Oyegbola advised LAGFERRY’s Annual Strategic Management Retreat held on Saturday, with the theme: ‘Advancing Water Transportation for a Sustainable Lagos.’
She said: “We are here in this retreat to ask ourselves how we can do it better. “What do we need to do to make it better? I need to talk to us as civil servants. The purpose has been established, but as a person, how do you want to contribute to this purpose, to the strategies that we will be talking about?
“I want you to be intentional about what you want to do in the coming year. If you are not intentional, you cannot achieve anything,” she said.
She also urged the staff to be good leaders in their respective areas, urging them to conduct SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis to be able to lead well.
The permanent secretary said that more efficient operations of LAGFERRY would reduce road traffic.
“This is Lagos. We are surrounded by water. The more people use the waterways, the less traffic we have on the roads, which will save person-hours.
LAGFERRY is working with other government agencies, particularly in the field of transportation, to ensure that Lagos residents get to where they want to be safely.
“No agency can work on its own. It should interface with agencies such as the state Ministry of Waterfront and Infrastructure, which gives jetties, and the Ministry of Works for access to the jetties,” she said.
Oyegbola implored LAGFERRY staff to ensure a more efficient service delivery. Mr Babajide Obanikoro, Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Parastatals Monitoring, stated that LAGFERRY’s achievements demonstrated its dedication to meeting standards and driving innovation.
“LAGFERRY has advanced. This is what we have always asked for in any agency. As regards challenges, we are going to put our hands together to ensure that, by this time next year, we have made progress in tackling the challenges,” he said.
Mr Lanre Sanusi, Executive Chairman, Amuwo Odofin Local Government, said that LAGFERRY was in existence to provide alternative transport means.
He said that the organisation was doing very well. “As a local government, we are ready to partner with LAGFERRY in making sure that we sustain and build on its achievements.
Earlier, the Managing Director of LAGFERRY, Mr Abdoulbaq Balogun, said that the organisation achieved a lot from its last year’s retreat.
He said that LAGFERRY implemented many strategies, which led to a steady rise in its revenue.
“This shows that we are not just gathering here to have fun, eat, drink, and dance, but taking some essential lessons, which impacted our daily operations, our careers, and our daily lives.
“We also believe that this particular session will take us further. Now, we have a lot of potential in ferry transportation, and water transportation in Lagos state.
“We will take advantage of all this potential, leverage on it to increase the revenue drive of Lagos State and make LAGFERRY a vehicle for sustainable transportation in Lagos State beyond what we are doing now,” he said.
