Commercial boat operations drop by 60%

Members of the Waterfront Boat Owners and Transporters Association (WABOTAN) have said their operations have dropped by nothing less than 60 per cent in the last five months.

The operators blamed the drop on the removal of the petrol subsidy.

National Public Relations Officer of WABOTAN, Chief Raymond Gold, in a chat with our correspondent said since the removal of fuel subsidy in May, boat operators have recorded about a 60 per cent drop in patronage.

“The decline in patronage is evident in the reduction in the number of daily boat trips. About 20 boats operating from Liverpool to Badagry have been reduced to about three to four boats running per day.

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“The decrease in boat trips suggests that some operators may have been forced to withdraw from the route or shift their focus to shorter distances to maintain their businesses.

“The truth is that before this fuel subsidy issue, travelling by water was cheaper and faster most of the time. For example, from Ikorodu to Ikoyi, at the LASWA Jetty, and environs was N1000. That is far cheaper compared to you travelling by road from Ikorodu through to CMS, and then to the Island and people were happy doing that.

“But then, fuel prices increased in May and they are now paying two times the initial price. So people began to consider going by road. Liverpool to Badagry was N2500; at the time it was even N2000 depending on the rush hour. But with the fuel subsidy removal, it became higher.”

Meanwhile, the Lagos state chapter Secretary of the Association of Tourist Boat Operators and Water Transporters (ATBOWATAN), Mr Ayomikun Aworetan also confirmed the sharp drop in the patronage of boat transportation in Lagos State.