The Managing Director of the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Engr. (Mrs.) Abimbola Akinajo, has reaffirmed Lagos State University’s (LASU) School of Transport and Logistics as a vital source of skilled manpower for the rapidly expanding transportation sector in Lagos State and across Nigeria.
Engr. Akinajo made the remark during a courtesy visit by a delegation from the LASU School of Transport and Logistics, led by its Dean, Professor Ogochukwu Ugboma. She described LASU as a fertile ground for identifying, grooming and deploying talent required for efficient transport operations, particularly in areas such as bus services, transport planning and urban mobility management.
The visit was described as a high-level engagement aimed at deepening collaboration between academia and industry, as both institutions explored strategic partnerships to strengthen capacity development within the transport sector.
During the meeting, Professor Ugboma outlined several areas of proposed cooperation designed to enhance transport service delivery through applied research and academic support. Chief among the proposals was the establishment of a jointly branded LASU–LAMATA Centre of Excellence dedicated to urban transport research, policy innovation and infrastructure development.
He also proposed the introduction of annual awards for the best graduating students of the School of Transport and Logistics as a way of promoting academic excellence and encouraging innovation among young professionals in the field.
Responding, Engr. Akinajo expressed appreciation for the school’s proactive engagement and formally committed LAMATA to the partnership initiative. She confirmed that the Authority would commence the award of prizes to top-performing graduating students, underscoring LAMATA’s commitment to developing local capacity and nurturing homegrown talent for the transport industry.
She further advised the LASU delegation to present their proposals in a more formalised manner, including clearly defined service level agreements that specify required expertise, scope of engagement and expected outputs.
Both institutions expressed optimism that the collaboration would effectively combine LASU’s academic strengths with LAMATA’s operational experience to drive innovation, capacity building and sustainable development within Lagos State’s urban transport ecosystem.
