Oshodi Interchange kicks off with new narratives on city travels, security, shopping
Barely one week after the commissioning of the multibillion naira Oshodi Transport Interchange (OTI), Terminal 3 of the Transport Interchange on Thursday, started service delivery.
This was revealed in an interview by the Chief Executive Officer of the construction firm, Planet Projects Limited, Mr Biodun Otunola.
He explained that “The OTI is strategically structured to address the traffic, environmental and security problems in and around the Oshodi area.”
“Oshodi, as we all know, is a major place in Lagos State and a lot of people, who travel in and out of Lagos and those who move within the state go through the place. It is the busiest transport interchange anywhere around here.
Otunola revealed that “Before now, there were 30 independent parks and 500 buses loading there at a time to different destinations including West African countries. We also have close to one million people walking through Oshodi. So, it is a very important place in Lagos and even the whole country.
While noting that OTI is not only going to solve transport problem, Planet Projects boss, said “It will address environmental problem as well as security issues”.
“There was no effective waste management system in place because of the way things are. There are no toilets there; but with this interchange, that problem will be taken care of. There were tendencies for criminal activities because of the huge crowd of about one million people going through this place on a daily basis.
“These three terminals can process up to one million passengers everyday by the time they become fully operational. We decided to go vertical because there is no enough land in Oshodi. As we all know everywhere around the world, the central spot like Oshodi is usually the most beautiful spot. It is the same thing in London and other places but in Nigeria it is not always so.
“We have the CCTV everywhere and there is a control room where all activities will be controlled. So, in terms of safety, it is designed to be well-secured and it will be a safe place for people using the facility.
We noted that OTI will enhance the tourism value of the state, Otunola noted that “This place is very beautiful and it will be much more beautiful at night especially when all the lights, about 1,000, are switched on. Many people will come here just to come and see the place”.
He disclosed that Planet Projects Limited, on the instruction of the lagos State Government, has created a state-of-the-art terminal that will ensure security, encourage passengers to shop as they are travelling and make them as comfortable as possible with easy to access ticketing system. The waiting area is fully air-conditioned and will soon come alive with a mega shopping mall to be delivered through a Public-Private Partnership agreement at the terminal 3.
