I built Bariga jetty to tackle sand dredging, cultism – Ambode

The Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, has said that he resolved to build the Bariga water-front jetty to tackle the menace of sand dredging and incessant cult attacks in the Ilaje, Bariga community area of Lagos.

Ambode made the disclosure at the commissioning of the jetty and construction of Ilaje Road in Bariga.

According to him, both the jetty and road projects were basically in response to the security challenges of late 2015, as investigations then revealed that the cultists terrorizing the people and threatening the peace of the state were getting funds from sand dredging activities in the area.

“The beginning of our security challenge actually started from this particular spot. There were always series of cult rivalries in this particular community and people were actually going house-to- house to kill one another. I tried to find out what was responsible and discovered that a lot of cult members were always having access to free money by dredging the sand and selling it. They then used the free money to harm others in the community.

“So towards the end of 2015, when I saw the area, I realized that it was a dump site. I then looked for a way to solve the security challenges in the community. I decided to stop the sand dredging in the entire neighbourhood. That more or less stopped the income to most of the boys in the community. And they could not use what they get from the business to oppress one another.

“Three months after, they came begging for me to lift the ban so that they can continue the sand dredging in the community. I felt that would result in another round of anarchy. And in order to put a stop to it, I offered to link the road with the jetty. So what we are celebrating today is a solution to one of the security challenges that we have at that time. I am happy that it has come to an end. We thank members of the community,” Ambode said.

The governor said the jetty has a 150-car parking lot that would provide an avenue for people to park their cars comfortably and get on a ferry taking them to other parts of the state, adding that residents of the area can also make use of the ample space for social events.

Ambode added that of the five new ferries, four are passenger ferries that can accommodate between 40 and 60 passengers, while the fifth ferry – a car barge – has the capacity to take between 16 and 20 cars at a time on water.

He said the projects were also in line with his administration’s policy to develop an efficient integrated transport model to decongest roads in the state by getting more people to utilise water transportation as a viable alternative.

Earlier, the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Mr Ade Akinsanya, said aside the jetty, road and ferries, the state government was also constructing 12 other roads within Ilaje and Bariga.

The Baale of Ilaje, High Chief Kayode Ajetiwa, who spoke on behalf of the community, thanked Governor Ambode, saying the people of the area would forever appreciate and remember him for transforming their neighbourhood and making life comfortable for them through the projects.