The Lagos State Government has attributed the delay in replacing BRT buses destroyed during the #EndSARS unrest to the huge increase in the cost of purchasing new vehicles.
Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat disclosed this on Thursday during a question-and-answer session on Nigeria Info FM.
Hamzat explained that the buses, which were purchased for about N80m each at the time, now cost roughly N280m per unit, making it difficult for the government to replace the entire fleet that was lost.
“During #EndSARS, if you recall, 200 of those buses were burnt. We bought those buses at that time for 80 million per bus. Now, it’s about 280 million per one,” Hamzat said.
He said the government had also expected some of the existing buses to reach the end of their service life after seven or eight years and be withdrawn from operation.
According to him, the inability to replace the destroyed buses has contributed to the shortage of BRT vehicles currently affecting commuters.
“If we release those 200 buses into the state, you know, it carries because we know we have anticipated that, okay, some of these buses are seven-year-old, eight-year-old, and we must take them out of circulation.
“Unfortunately, you know, we’ve not been able to replace all the 200, and that’s what we are seeing today,” he said.
The deputy governor spoke against the backdrop of complaints from residents over the availability of BRT and other public transport buses across Lagos.
However, the number of buses cited by Hamzat differs from the figure previously released by the state government after the 2020 unrest.
In April 2021, the then Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, said 80 BRT buses were destroyed during the violence.
The government’s breakdown showed that 23 large buses were burnt in Ojodu, while another 57 medium-sized buses were destroyed at Oyingbo.
The destruction happened during the violence that followed the #EndSARS protests in October 2020, which began with demands for an end to police brutality and the scrapping of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad.
The unrest later resulted in attacks on public facilities and businesses across parts of Lagos, with the Oyingbo BRT terminal among those affected.
Hamzat said the government was looking to private operators to help address the shortage, arguing that they could acquire and deploy buses more quickly.
He said the state could support commuters by subsidising fares while allowing private companies to handle bus operations.
“But thankfully, a lot of private sector people are also bringing in buses to make sure, we must get it to a stage where private people actually bring in buses and then we subsidise the cost for people because private will be able to manage it better than us,” he said.
He maintained that running buses should largely be left to private operators because government processes could slow down procurement and deployment.
“You know, government should not be in the business of managing buses and the rest and the rest because it becomes cumbersome before you get approval and all those things. But if it’s private, they are able to do it. They are nimble, they are faster,” he said.
Hamzat added that Lagos was also expanding alternative transportation options, including ferry services, while efforts were being made to improve rail transportation.
“We are bringing in ferries. Our train is working better. So, by the time we put all this together, then, you know, transportation will be better for everybody in Lagos,” Hamzat said.