Worried by the existential challenges of transportation in her Local Government Area, Chairman of Bonny LGA, Dame Anengi Wilcox has announced a bold and ambitious intervention aimed at transforming the mass transportation system in Bonny Island.

Part of this bold move is to identify with the Educational aspirations of children in Bonny by providing them some leverage to pursue their academic ambitions by way of mobility which the free school bus scheme represents.

Come Saturday, October 30, 2023, another set of officials and party bigwigs would be launching four coaster buses for free transportation of school children, 15 Daihatsu Hi-jet Mini Buses for land transportation and three 18-Seater HiAce buses for use by the Bonny Local Government Council.

Exuding an ambient passion for community development, Dame Wilcox, in her address at the Coal Beach, Bonny on Saturday, October 22, 2022, stated that her administration embarked on provision of free school buses to convey school children and commuters’ buses to convey residents within the LGA as a measure to improve the lives of the people.

She informed that aside focusing on economic growth etched on easy movement of passengers and goods from one area to the other in the island, the move was also aimed at empowering “our people to engage in land transportation”, stressing that this initiative would also serve to check the excesses and threats posed by commercial motorcycle operators.

A rapidly developing island, Bonny LGA comprises of the mainland with 6 wards and the island with 6 wards. The mainland has Mission Road, which stretches from Coal Beach to Bonny Roundabout; King Asimini Bypass, also known as Berger Road, which runs from Holy Trinity Church junction to BNGS junction; Shell Road connecting the Bonny Roundabout to Shell Gate; and Hospital Road, which links the Bonny Roundabout to Akiama Community.

Others are Akiama Road, which stretches from New Jerusalem Road Junction by Ogogo-Ama (Ghana Woman) Bridge through Akiama Junction to Navy Base and then to Oguede Community; Abalamabie Road, which starts from Akiama Junction and stretches to Abalamabie Community; King Perekule Road, formerly New Road, runs from Shell Gate to Gen. Kurubo Street (Mosque Road) junction by First Bank; Willbros Road, which connects Willbros junction to Damascus Road junction by Akiama and links up with Waterwell Road; and New Finima Road, which begins from First Bank all the way to Finima Town.

These are now complimented by the newly constructed Gabriel Pepple Road, which grants access to that axis of the cosmopolitan island, as well as the VIP and Ultra-Modern Motor Park at the Coal Beach, and the Abraham-Hart Motorable Bridge. ongoing as well is the zero pothole initiative aimed ensuring smooth roads across the island.

With about 15,000 residents criss-crossing these roads from one part of the mainland to the other and also the outlying villages on the island axis, these is the ongoing need for not just land transportation system but also a water transportation system that accommodates those traversing the rural riverine communities.

For education, commerce, industrial reasons mobility is an ongoing social challenge that the Dame Anengi Wilcox administration has set out ambitiously to address beginning from the vehicles that would be launched this weekend, which expectedly would cushion the current excruciating stress of transportation.

Whereas these services provided will be beneficial to those living in the LGA, it would also positively impact on Education, Commerce and Economic Growth and Government business, form an integral part of logistics aspect of the ease of doing business drive of the local government administration, and play major roles in administration and implementation of people-oriented service.

Furthermore, concerned stakeholders are of the opinion that the convenience made available through this mass transit service will foster the zeal and willingness of children to go to school, improve their academic activities as well as improve the quality of life, granting access between communities in the area to do business leading to reduction in cost of commodities.

They point out that this would increase in sales, business productivity, improved revenue generation, boost the local economy and attract more development from external bodies to the local government area, asserting that generally life gets easier for residents as there would be ease in transporting themselves while active in pursuing their daily goals.