Bennett Oghifo The Lagos State government is deliberately building road and water transportation infrastructure to ease movement in and out of the state by residents of the state’s border towns.

Presently, the exit points in Lagos are the Lagos-Ibadan expressway; Lagos-Badagry; Ikorodu-Sagamu/Ijebu Ode; Lagos-Epe-Ijebu Ode; and the Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta axis.

Last week, the Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu inaugurated three more roads and a jetty to ease the movement of residents in Ishefun community in Ipaja-Ayobo Local Council Development Area to Ogun State. Travellers in this area can now get to Ogun State through the waterways in seven minutes.

Governor Sanwo-Olu commissioned the newly-rehabilitated Isuti Road in Igando, Ishefun-Camp Davies Road and Ijon-Liasu Ojo-Ijo Road, relieving the residents of traffic burden. The road infrastructure has improved connectivity and solved traffic congestion in the area.

The governor also commissioned a newly built T-shaped jetty in Ishefun riverine community to facilitate seamless ferry services to other boundary towns along the river channel. A ferry journey takes seven minutes to Igbesa, an Ogun State town.

Sanwo-Olu led members of the State cabinet to Alimosho for the formal inauguration of the projects, constructed by Visible Construction company.

The Ishuti Road project is 3800m length with 10m width ending at the jetty connecting to the famous totoro food market in Ogun State, Hence accelerating growth in trade and commerce around igando. The Ishefun – Camp Davies – Ijon Road segment which has a length of 7,639 meters and a width of 16.2meter while Laisu Ojo-Ijo Road segment of the project is 1,190 metres and 8 meters in width respectively. The Jetty component consists of the Ticketing office, Canteen, Waiting Area, Car Park and Pontoon. The completed Ishefun – Camp Davies – Ijon – Liasu Ojo-Ijo Road Network with Jetty and Isuti Road projects will greatly enhance vehicular movement towards Ipaja – Ayobo – Igando and its environs just as it would reduce incessant traffic gridlocks being experienced on the LASU – IBA Road.

Excited residents received the Governor and his entourage with placards, bearing messages of appreciation on the development.

Sanwo-Olu said the projects were testimony of his administration’s determination to improve the wellbeing of the people, regardless of their status. He said the development had solved the perennial traffic congestion experienced in the area, adding that the ancillary lighting facilities had improved security situation in the area.

He said: “It is a great day in Alimosho, the largest Local Government Area in the country, where we are inaugurating projects that will impact the quality of life of our citizens. My administration acknowledges the strategic position of this big constituency that has five local councils. The delivery of these projects further demonstrates that people remain at the centre of our activities in Government. We don’t want to come here only for political campaigns; we also want to come and raise the hope of our people.

“This is why we dedicated today to commission network of roads that have direct impacts on the lives of our people on this axis. We have just handed over the rehabilitated Isuti Road, which is designed to have a water transportation hub at the end of it. The jetty is yet to be fully developed but the platform with anchors are already in place. We are now in Ishefun to hand over the Grade-One highway network, which is a dual carriageway of over 7 kilometres in length.

“The Ishefun-Camp Davies, Ijon-Liasu Ojo-Ijo highway network leads to the modern jetty we are handing over to boost waterways transport around coastal communities. Our cardinal objective is to reduce the time people spend in traffic and facilitate quick connectivity. We deliberately focus on developing these boundary roads to ensure livelihoods within this neighborhood are improved. This development will impact on commercial activities and sustenance of life for the people in the beneficiary communities.”

Sanwo-Olu told the residents to take ownership of the projects, urging them to protect the infrastructure and the ancillary facilities.

On the request of the Isuti community, the Governor promised to build a primary school in the area to further scale up access to education.

The governor said his visit to Alimosho for project inauguration showed that his Government had not neglected the area in its development programmes.

He said: “The infrastructure being provided today will not be the last set of projects we are bringing to this part of Alimosho. We have several ongoing projects scheduled for completion. We will come back for comprehensive drainage and channelisation work to limit flooding threatening your livelihood.

“These are part of our promises to you. By committing ourselves to fulfilling the promises speaks about purposeful governance. We have come back to show what we have been doing for you over the last three and half years. We have never forgotten you and we will fulfil all pledges made to you.”

After the commissioning, Sanwo-Olu inspected the ongoing construction of a bypass in Baruwa-Ayobo, which links Ayobo-Ipaja to Iba and Igando axes. The wooden toll illegally raised on the bypass, which is nearing completion, had been removed.

The bypass road, the Governor said, will bring huge traffic relief to the entire neighbourhood when it is completed. It will reduce the journey time from Ayobo-Ipaja into LASU-Iba Road from 45 minutes to less than 15 minutes.

Special Adviser to the Governor on Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Aramide Adeyoye, said the infrastructure projects were initiated in response to deplorable conditions of roads arising from growing population in area areas.

She said the development had changed the narrative after 12 months of initiating the infrastructure, stressing that the significance of the projects was the creation of hubs for water transportation to Agbara and other coastal communities in Badagry and neighboring Ogun State.

Adeyoye said: “This intervention which brings about the full reconstruction and upgrade of Isuti Road and two other roads network with the provision of a brand new Jetty is strategic, because it would not only serve people in the beneficiary communities around Ayobo which is one of the largest settlements in Alimosho, it will also improve road connectivity and serve as a bypass to the Lagos-Badagry Expressway via Agbara, Ishefun and Isuti.

“We embarked on these projects, given their importance to the socio-economic realities of the residents. The Isuti Road project extends to a jetty connecting to the famous Totowu food market in Ogun State. These projects will boost food supply and accelerate growth in commercial activities around Igando. The dual carriageway of Ishefun-Camp Davies was constructed with reinforced concrete drains with cover slabs and walkways on both sides.”

Chairman of Ayobo-Ipaja LCDA, Hon. Bolatito Sobowale, praised Sanwo-Olu for the gesture, saying the Governor’s name would remain indelible in the minds of residents, given the importance of the projects.

“Socio economic lives of our people will be boosted and their livelihood will be touched positively by these infrastructure projects. Our neighbouring State can now be accessed through the jetty,” Sobowale said.