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 key source of skilled manpower for the rapidly growing transportation sector in Lagos and across Nigeria.
Engr. Akinajo made this remark during a courtesy visit by a delegation from the LASU School of Transport and Logistics, led by its Dean, Professor Ogochukwu Ugboma. She noted that LASU remains a fertile ground for identifying and nurturing talent for transport operations, particularly in areas such as bus services and transport planning.
The visit, described as a high-level engagement aimed at exploring strategic partnerships, represents a deliberate effort to strengthen collaboration between academia and industry. During the meeting, Professor Ugboma outlined several proposed areas of cooperation designed to enhance the transport sector through applied research and academic support.
Key among the proposals was the establishment of a jointly branded LASU–LAMATA Centre of Excellence focused on urban transport research and infrastructure development. Professor Ugboma also proposed the introduction of annual awards for the best graduating students as a means of promoting academic excellence in transport and logistics.
In her response, Engr. Akinajo expressed appreciation for the school’s proactive outreach and formally committed LAMATA to the partnership. 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 talent.
She further advised the LASU delegation to present their requests in a more formalized manner, including clearly defined service level agreements, particularly with respect to required expertise and expected outputs.
Both institutions expressed optimism that the collaboration would harness LASU’s academic strengths and LAMATA’s operational experience to foster innovation and sustainable development within Lagos State’s urban transport ecosystem.
