The Lagos State Government has explained that the rising cost of procuring new buses is responsible for the delay in replacing BRT buses destroyed during the 2020 #EndSARS protests.

Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat disclosed this during a question-and-answer session with Nigeria Info FM on Thursday.

Hamzat said the buses originally cost about ₦80 million each but now cost approximately ₦280 million, making it difficult for the state to replace all the vehicles destroyed during the unrest.

He said the state had anticipated that some buses would also have to be withdrawn from service after seven or eight years, making the replacement challenge more pressing.

The deputy governor said the inability to replace the destroyed buses had contributed to the shortage currently experienced by commuters.

He noted that the state was considering greater private-sector participation in public transportation, saying private operators could procure and deploy buses more quickly while government could subsidise fares to keep transportation affordable.

Hamzat argued that government should not necessarily be directly involved in managing buses, as private operators could respond more quickly to transportation needs.

He said the state was also expanding alternative transportation systems, including ferry services and rail transport, to improve mobility across Lagos.

However, Hamzat's claim that 200 BRT buses were destroyed during the #EndSARS unrest differs from an earlier figure released by the state government in 2021, which put the number of affected BRT vehicles at 80. The earlier breakdown listed 23 large buses burnt in Ojodu and 57 medium-sized buses destroyed at Oyingbo.