The weather on this fateful Saturday afternoon was clement, a good condition for boat cruise. Excitement pervaded the air as travel journalists scheduled for the boat cruise begun to arrive Tarzan Jetty in Lagos Island, by Oriental Hotel, the point of departure, one after the other.
Before long the boat, operated by Tarzan boat, was set to sail after taking delivery of all that was needed for the cruise. The occasion was organised by the Managing Director of Tarzan Boat Services Limited, Gani Balogun, who is fondly known as the Boat Man. He is the foremost leisure and water transport operator in Lagos. The occasion was to fete travel journalists under the auspices of Association of Nigerian Journalists and Writers of Tourism (ANJET).
Also on the trip were the chairman of Lagos Ferry Services, Adeboye Kalejaiye, with some of his personnel, officials of the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) led by Muhammed Lukman, who is an officer in the department of Budget and Planning and some officials of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA).
By the way, LASWA and NIWA are regulators of water transport and other activities on the Lagos waters. NIWA is a federal agency while LASWA is a state agency. For years, these two bodies have shown not to be best of friends because of the disquiet that exist between them as to who should have absolute control over Lagos waters.
But having officials of the two bodies as well as those from Lagos State Ferry Services was a refreshing and welcomed development. I must say there was some kind of decorum and conviviality that pervaded all through the journey with the officials occasionally weighing in on discussions and taking time to throw more light on issues raised by the journalists, with Kalejaiye impressing everyone with the grandiose plan by his agency to transform water transportation in the state.
By 2.10pm, the boat, a covered boat, as revealed later by Tarzan, was designed by him and one Mr. Paul and produced locally aside the two outboard engines imported all the materials were locally sourced, set for sail from the jetty. Everyone engaged in animated discussions and you could feel excitement and expectation colouring the mood.
Tarzan took charge of the proceedings, first introducing Captain Ahmed Balogun, his son, as the boat’s captain, and then reel out the long itinerary and attractions as well as stops along the route. It was no doubt going to be a long drawn out trip; interesting and fun filled one.
Of course, you can be assured of this as those have long become the hallmarks of Tarzan’s boat cruise, including the professionalism and safety measures that he puts in place. And more importantly, the personal touch, so with him on the boat as both the chief host and guide, we were guaranteed a frolicking time on Lagos waters.
You can trust that after over four hours cruise and another close to two hours party time on sea, using one of his floating barges, and far into the night, it was as if the trip has just begun with everyone obviously not looking tired but energised, excited and asking for the party to continue, unfortunately, Sunday morning beckons.
One thing that Tarzan put across was the ease of movement on water and the short time spent compared to travelling on land. Safety was also another issue that he spoke glowingly of as we cruised along the waters. The beauty of the cruise was the fact that it offered the opportunity to see almost all of the city’s innards from the inner and hidden sides.
Interestingly, within such a short time and without the traffic bottlenecks associated with travelling within Lagos on land. This time, it was done with leisure and in a most pleasurable and exciting manner. Setting off from Victoria Island to Lekki axis, Ikoyi – Lekki Link Bridge came into sight.
Viewing it from the boat, the piece of engineering that went into it made it more alluring to behold. Tarzan described it as the best landmark that symbolises Lagos when introducing the bridge. However, it should be noted that controversy has trailed the description of Ikoyi-Lekki Link Bridge as the best symbol of Lagos as opposed to either the National Theatre or Eyo Masquerade. The jury is still out on this.
Parkview and Third Mainland Bridge are some of the structures that came in view and then we headed for Egbin Power Station but couldn’t get to a vantage point to have a good view of the power station due to water hyacinth, which caused obstruction.
Water hyacinth is one of the major hurdles to overcome on the Lagos waters. Another is the low tide, with the high tide or current, you are good to go but with the low tide, which we came across at some point in a section known as Baiyeku, the cruise was inhibited and at risk.
Captain Ahmed obviously miscalculated and ran into the low tide while actually trying to navigate the boat to a safe part but Tarzan came to the rescue showing his expertise on the water as he calmly dished out instructions to his son and in no time we were out of danger and everyone heaved a sigh of relief.
We made a detour to Badore where Tarzan operates a boat service to Ikorodu and Lagos Island. From here we then headed to Ikorodu axis of the state while feasting on such locations as University of Lagos, Oba of Lagos Palace (Iga Idunganran), Oke – Oba, Iddo and Ebute Ero Terminals and then made a stopover at the Lagos Command Police Marine jetty where we changed to another covered boat of Tarzan.
Kalejaiye: Lagos set to re-invent ferry services
One of the major stops was Ikorodu town where we spent some time at the Ikorodu Terminal, which construction has long been completed but waiting to be put into use.
It has among others a large car park that would be linked with floating barges to ferry cars. Kalejaye assured that the terminal, which has been concession, would soon be opened for business.
Cruising through Marina, Apapa Wharf, Tin Can, Snake Island, we made another stop over at the former Lagos Ferry Service office in Mile Two. Here Kalejaiye took charge of proceedings as he explained that the former office complex, which has now been brought down, would in a matter of months welcome an attractive edifice as the contract for the construction of a befitting office complex with shopping mall and relaxation points, has since been awarded by the state government.
According to him, on completion, it would be linked with the train terminal close by and with a large car park, offering people the option of using both rail and ferry services. He said the new complex would serve as the operational head office of Lagos Ferry Service, with a command centre that is linked to Alausa and other operational bases within the state.
Kalejaiye gave assurances that in no distance time, water transportation in Lagos would be the most treasured and patronised by the public. According to him, a number of terminals are billed for completion soon, these include the ones at Ikorodu, Marina and Ebute Ero and that once operational, every axis of the state would be linked with ferry services.
Also, he disclosed that Lagos Ferry Service is soon to take delivery of about five ferries that would be deployed by the state government to boost water transportation in the state. According to him, the state government is working on a multi – modal transportation system, which include road, rail and water.
He acknowledged the fact that the state is endowed with a good network of water transportation and that efforts are in place to ensure that it becomes fully operational in no distance time. At the moment, he said work is ongoing on the needed infrastructure and creation of the right environment for water transportation to thrive in the state.
These include the construction of terminals, channelisation and dredging of four major water routes in the state. This, he said also extend to clearing the water hyacinth, as the state has one water hyacinth machine with more to be taken delivery of soon while security matter on the waterways is also being tackled.
Lukman also collaborated the summation of Kalejaiye, as he spoke extensively of activities of his agency in ensuring that Lagos waters is safe and secured for the boat operators and users. He called on the operators to partner with his agency in ensuring that it realises its mandate, which is basically making sure that water transportation in the state is safe and a thriving business.
Thereafter, we circled back to Tarzan Jetty on Victoria Island where it all started and berthed at about 6pm. It was indeed a blast and fun time. What a better way to start the year as we had quite a lot to eat and drink on board aside the sometimes heated debate, revelations and banters as well as the animated and ribs cracking jokes.
And just when we begun to bid one another farewell and best wishes for the year, Tarzan pulled a fast one on us as he directed the boat to the floating barge berthed at the other side of the jetty.
Before long the floating barge has been turned in a party space with music and the Dee Jay setting up at the upper deck of the barge, chicken grill spot, drinks and others fitted into the space as well. With everyone onboard, the second aspect of the boat cruise commenced.
A party on sea and atop a floating barge, airy and breezy, with the cool night breeze swirling and giving the night scene a different colouration. We floated slowly and quietly between the jetty and the Ikoyi – Lekki Bridge axis. It reminded one of such adventure that we once savoured in Dubai, with dinner on sea or In Vic Fall, Zimbabwe on the Zambezi River.
It was a most fulfilling night with drinks and grilled chickens making the rounds while Dee Jay Mirror serenaded the mood with different vibes from a number of Nigerian artistes. MC Eva, who described himself as the CEO of Mosquito Record, directed the night’s proceedings, entertaining the audience with his kind of jokes at intervals.
A number of young, talented and budding Nigerian artistes took turns to entertain with their songs and artistic muse. The list included ACE Paul, Boy Skinny, Bokocofinafi, Victorious Dancer, Leena Martin and Flexible Blessing. But the most amazing and revealing presentations of the night were by Flexible Blessing and Victorious Dancer, who put on sterling performances respectively.
First was Victorious Dancer (Victoria Ndubuisi), an OND Art student of Yaba Polytechnic, who displayed her artistic prowess and dancing flair at the same time. She started out with scintillating dance steps and then moved on to the board to paint, upside down, a portrait of an artiste, who turned out to be the legendary Afro beat king, Fela Anikulapo.
She got all the attention in the world while at it and when she eventually finished and presented the work to the audience, everyone shouted Fela and this was followed by her belting out of one of the hits of the Afro beat king, which got everyone on the dance floor.
Then came the turn of Flexible Blessing (Blessing Okute), who entertained with some nervy stunts and amazingly creative gymnastic moves, to the astonishment of the audience. Considering the fact that gymnastic is not one of the popular sports in Nigeria, and for her age, Blessing certainly has a future ahead of her.
The amazing night ended with everyone on the dance floor. One of the memorable sights as earlier remarked by Tarzan during the boat cruise, is how stunting and beautiful Lagos could be at night, with the star and light playing on the waters and the surrounding, one is really taken in by the beautiful sight.
Also, you come away with the discovery that Lagos waters hold a fascinating offering for everyone, both leisure seekers and commuters, if only the right atmosphere, facilities and motivation are created. With all the chaos, especially the hectic traffic situation in Lagos, water transportation remains one of the best options to be exploited.
LASWA and NIWA need to close ranks and sort out their differences for the benefit of the people who depend on Lagos waters for their existence because there is a lot of money to be made from the waters as Tarzan would tell you. Kalejaiye and his team would also need to get their acts together quickly.
Enough of talk and promises, this is the time for action.
Tarzan: Water transportation is capital intensive
For Tarzan, water transport business is his tuft and he glows when he talks about it and on this day, he was at his best, talking excitedly about water transportation business and enjoying the bliss of the cruise.
Water transportation business he says is a serious business and requires all the seriousness and attention from both the government and operators and also the public, who he says should demand that the government pays attention to it as it does road and air transportation.
According to him, water transportation remains the safest means of transport and for a state like Lagos, which is almost water – locked and with the difficulties of moving around on land, water transportation is the best option to be developed and made to thrive.
He says it is capital intensive because the boats, engines and other elements that go with it are very expensive to acquire as well as the infrastructure. He also reveals that it is almost like operating aircraft business with functional airports the same way water transportation requires functional jetties/terminals across the state.
Staying afloat has not been an easy one for Tarzan and his company especially given some of the issues that he has had to contend with from both NIWA and LASWA. In retrospect, he says, 2017 was tough and challenging, however, a lot of successes were recorded.
‘‘Though 2017 was very tough for Tarzan Group, we still managed to remain focused, putting in place new jetties and other operational facilities that can help both transportation and outdoor water based recreation,’’ he discloses even as he promised that 2018 would witness further developments.
‘‘Soon, our famous beach house will be renovated and rebranded with a special ferry service to other beach recreation grounds within and around Lagos,’’ he reveals while commending NIWA and LASWA for their various strides though more could still be done by both agencies.
He also applauded the Lagos Command Police Marine for their devotion to policing Lagos waters and ensuring the safety of both the operators and users. He called for a concerted effort and provision of the needed facilities for them to continue to police the waters.
Tarzan expressed appreciation to ANJET and its members for the good relationship that has existed between the two organisations even as he urged them to remain devoted to the course of tourism.
