The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) has dismissed a viral social media claim alleging that the Marina Train Station on the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) Blue Line cost $1.2 billion, describing the figure as false and misleading. The agency also cautioned content creators and social media users against……
The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) has dismissed a viral social media claim alleging that the Marina Train Station on the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) Blue Line cost $1.2 billion, describing the figure as false and misleading.
The agency also cautioned content creators and social media users against spreading inaccurate information about public infrastructure projects, stressing the need for factual verification before publication.
The clarification followed a viral video posted by a content creator which claimed that the Marina Train Station was constructed at a cost of $1.2 billion.
....: Things To Know About New LAMATA Law Against Movement of Goods on Public Buses
In a statement by the Head of Corporate Communication, Kolawole Ojelabi, LAMATA reiterated that the total cost of the entire 27-kilometre Blue Line project—from Marina to Okokomaiko—is $1.17 billion, and not the figure circulated online.
The agency further explained that the cost includes the procurement of rolling stock as well as the construction of a standard maintenance depot, adding that the second phase of the project is still ongoing and expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2027.
“Curiously, despite acknowledging LAMATA’s earlier clarification regarding the actual cost of the project, the content creator proceeded to publish additional inaccurate figures,” the agency said.
LAMATA noted that the dissemination of false or misleading information is punishable under Nigerian law, citing provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act (as amended).
“The video contains several inaccuracies, which the law frowns upon. Section 19 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act (as amended), relating to the publication of false information, makes it an offence to knowingly or intentionally transmit or circulate false, misleading, or deceptive information online with the intent to mislead the public,” the statement added.
The agency also referenced Section 24 of the Act, which criminalises the intentional spread of false messages through computer systems capable of causing public disorder or disruption.
LAMATA also provided clarification on maintenance operations, noting that the Blue Line is supported by a structured maintenance system at its temporary depot, where routine daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly checks are conducted on rolling stock to ensure safety and efficiency.
On capacity development, the agency disclosed that Nigerian professionals now make up over 90 per cent of the workforce operating and maintaining the Blue Line, working alongside Chinese experts under a management contract arrangement.
It added that the number of foreign specialists has significantly reduced since the early stages of the project, as part of ongoing efforts to build local technical capacity in rail operations.
LAMATA said it remains committed to continuous training of Nigerian engineers and rail professionals to strengthen indigenous expertise in Lagos’ rail transport system.
