Lagos state governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Tuesday commissioned the world-class Bariga Waterfront Jetty and Ferries as well as the Ilaje road in Somolu local government.

In his address at the event which took place at the Bariga Waterfront Jetty, Ambode said the projects are in line with his administration’s policy of developing an efficient integrated transport model which will ease the traffic on Lagos roads.

He said the projects have also solved the problem of cultism and incessant cult clashes, crises and other security issues previously associated with the area.

The governor commissioned five transport ferries and the Ilaje road , saying the three projects are part of the grand plan to decongest roads by getting more of people to use the waterways transportation.


Of the five new ferries four are passenger ferries while one is a car barge which can move cars to the other jetties as may be required by people who want to drive in the other locations.

The jetty has a 150-car parking lot where people can park their cars comfortably and get on a ferry taking them to other parts of the State.

Ambode said, “The new Ilaje road will serve as a very good access road to the Jetty as well as opening up this community. The Bariga Jetty will serve as a terminal where people in this part of our State can access ferry services and easily get to other jetties at Ikorodu, Marina, Falomo and Badore in Ajah.”

The governor said the thinking behind the projects is inclusion; “an inclusion where every resident of our State has a say, feels the impact of government in their lives and is given the opportunity to realise their dreams.

“When we assumed office four years ago, we set out on a mission to make every community economically livable. This has been the guiding principle behind spreading our different projects across the State.

“When we first started on this project, the initial brief was to upgrade the roads in this community. But after a proper assessment of the community, it was clear that there was a bigger opportunity to improve the lives of our people and security situation here, make Bariga a transport hub and connect the community to other parts of the State through water transportation.


“The delivery of this road, the jetty and our new ferries signify our commitment to the people of Lagos State to continuously provide the critical infrastructure that will improve their standard of living and also be an impetus to increase the socio-economic activities of this axis.

Assuring that the provision of comfortable, safe and reliable ferry services for the residents of Bariga and environs will no doubt bring about an improvement in journey times that would lead to greater productivity.

“With these projects, our State is firmly on track with our goal of establishing an integrated transport management system. These facilities will continue to impact positively on the lives of Lagosians as we strive to address traffic gridlock, reduce travel time, improve road connectivity and abate flooding.

Ambode whose tenure ends on 29th of this month assured that the next administration will continue along these lines and build on the progressive strides the State has recorded in the last 20 years under successive administrations.