The state Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu disclosed this from his verified Twitter handle on Monday, attaching videos and pictures of the new trains.

“Dear Lagos, we have taken delivery of two new train sets for the Blue Line Rail. These passenger trains have been cleared at the port of entry and moved to the National Theatre station, where they have been lifted onto the elevated rail tracks,” he wrote.

“I am indeed glad to inform the good people of Lagos that with the arrival of these train sets, we are on course with our plans to change the face of the rail transport system in Lagos State. A greater Lagos is indeed rising.”

The government also said it has extended the traffic diversion in place at Muritala Mohammed Way, Yaba to February 28.

According to a statement by the state Commissioner for Transportation, Frederic Oladeinde, the extension is to continue the construction of the first phase of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit project.

He noted that the extension was needed to enable the contractor to complete the construction of the ramp.

“The Lagos State Government is extending the traffic diversion already in place at Muritala Mohammed Way from the previously extended completion date of December 31, 2022, to February 28, 2023,” the commissioner said.

“The traffic on Muritala Mohammed Way will be diverted to the Ojuelegba-Tejuosho slip road to link Muritala Mohammed Way, while traffic circulating Western Avenue, Yaba, and Herbert Macaulay will be diverted to Empire Road to access Muritala Mohammed and Western Avenue for a continued journey as stated previously in the past traffic diversion notices.

“The construction site will be cordoned off for the safety of the citizens, and emergency vehicles will be on the ground to tow faulty vehicles along the axis. Signages will be placed on the access roads in the presence of the state’s Traffic Management Authority to manage traffic flow and minimise inconveniences.”

The terminal was commissioned by the state Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu amid excitement by traders, commuters and transporters who thronged the venue for the formal opening of the facility.

Built by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), the bus station, is an ancillary infrastructure that will complement the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) Red Line currently being constructed by the Sanwo-Olu administration along the Yaba corridor.

The terminal will connect to the Red Metro station to facilitate an integrated mass transit and seamless connectivity among all means of land transportation.

While inaugurating the terminal, Sanwo-Olu noted that the delivery of the infrastructure became a priority for his government to boost the efficiency of public transportation service on the axis.

He also said the complementary rail line would be ready in the next 18 months and that would give commuters options to choose the transportation mode they would prefer to get to their destinations.

“Yaba corridor is prominent feature in the Lagos State Transportation Master Plan, because of its peculiar nature as a melting pot of commercial, technological and academic activities. The city’s evolution over the years places enormous responsibility on the Government to ensure that its dynamism and growth are sustained through balanced development.

“The facility being commissioned today is a world-class terminal from which buses will originate and terminate. In the next 18 months, this bus terminal will be integrated with the Yaba station of the Red Metro Line that is being constructed close to the terminal. The Yaba Bus Terminal reflects our vision for regulated bus services, which the State Government currently champions through Traffic Management and Transportation pillar of our T.H.E.M.E.S agenda,” Governor Sanwo-Olu said.

This was contained in a statement issued by Mrs Bolanle Ogunlola, the Assistant Director, Public Affairs Unit Ministry of Transportation.

According to her, this phase of construction work on the designated routes would focus on track stress dispersion and locking at various level crossing joints of the Standard Gauge Railway.

Motorists are therefore advised to utilise alternative routes that have been provided during the daily closure to enhance free flow of traffic on the stated dates.

Accordingly, motorists plying Ilupeju level crossing will be diverted to Ogunmokun, Yaba and Jibowu Crossing to access their desired destinations; so also, those who are to access Ogunmokun Road or access other areas from Ogunmokun are advised to use Ilupeju crossing to Mushin, Oshodi and Surulere for their desired destinations.

It said this was in line with the Nigerian Railway Modernization Project. A statement from the Ministry of Transportation on Wednesday, Nov 13th said on the 16th of November, the Jibowu axis will be closed down, while the Yaba axis of the rail will be shutdown on the 23rd of November.

The statement says “The routes will be closed at night to ensure smooth and uninterrupted flow of work on the rail tracks. The routes will also be used interchangeably as alternative routes for motorists to get to their various destinations so that when one axis is under construction, the other axis will be opened for motorists. The Lagos State Government hereby appeals to road users to bear with the government as it takes steps to create proper road infrastructure that will ultimately improve the traffic situation of the state”.

Mohammed was an addict. And after staying awake for a long time, he would crash. Mohammed’s yaba habit started at work in Dhaka. At first, Mohammed enjoyed the benefits his colleague described he would enjoy. But they were unexpectedly short-lived. Mohammed began behaving erratically and came close to breakdown.

“I was awake for seven, eight, even 10 days at a time. I was taking yaba in the morning, the afternoon, in the evening, again late at night, and then working all night and not going to bed.”

“I would black out. I totally went down. After two or three days I would wake, have food, and go to bed again. But if I had any yaba, I would take it – if you have a single pill left, you will take it.”

“Our import business was with Japan so we had to work at night because of the time difference. One of my colleagues told me about yaba. He said that if I take it, it will help me stay awake, be more energetic and to work hard in the morning and late at night.”

“In the early stages of using yaba it has a lot of positive effects. Everything is enhanced with yaba,” says Dr Ashique Selim, a consultant psychiatrist specialising in addiction.

“You become more sociable… You enjoy music, cigarettes and sex more. In Bangladesh there’s a very unhealthy association between yaba and sex – you’re awake longer, you’ve got more energy, you feel more confident. If you stop using yaba, there are no withdrawal symptoms, it’s not like alcohol or heroin. But it’s the effects of yaba that are really addictive. It’s a very, very dangerous drug.”

Yaba is manufactured illicitly in industrial quantities in Myanmar and it first appeared in Bangladesh in 2002 and its use, and ultimately, its abuse has gone up since then. it is smuggled into Bangladesh in the far south-east of the country, where the border partly follows the River Naf.