The Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, has said the State is in consultations with an automobile company to establish an assembly plant for minibuses in the state.
He disclosed that the minibuses would replace commercial motorcycles and tricycles that were recently banned in some parts of the state.
Hamzat stated that the government had insisted that the automobile firm set up an assembly plant in Lagos State to create employment for Nigerians.
He stressed that the ban on commercial motorcycles and tricycles in parts of the state was based on security information at government’s disposal, which if made public would give residents sleepless nights.
The Lagos deputy governor spoke on Thursday in an interview with journalists.
He said, “We are talking to companies; they wanted to bring those minibuses, but we are saying that why do you want to bring those buses and create jobs for your own people; why can’t we create a plant here?
“So, very soon, around the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, we will see construction that will start and the assembly. That is more important than just to say we will create jobs for another country in India or somewhere else.”
Hamzat said Lagos State was unable to ban the National Union of Road Transport Workers because it was a national body backed by law.
He said, “People say you can just ban them, but the truth is that they are like ASUU. There are things that ASUU does that I don’t support; does that mean we should just ban them? No! We will keep engaging them; we will keep talking to them. The NURTW is a union recognised by law in our country.”
