By Dansu Peter In the heart of what Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu touts as a “smart mega city,” lies a road so neglected, it stands as a symb...
By Dansu Peter
This road is not just an access route. It is the lifeline for thousands of residents in communities like Ikoga-Zebbe, Iragon, Pota, Igborosun, Javie, and beyond. Yet, for more than 10 years, that lifeline has been left to rot. Despite repeated appeals from residents, traditional leaders, and elected officials, the Lagos State Government has remained indifferent.
The situation is worse during the rainy season. Entire communities are cut off from the Lagos-Badagry Expressway due to severe flooding. One of the most tragic black spots — Angel Gabriel Bus Stop — has claimed the lives of several school children who drowned while trying to navigate the flooded area. During the dry season, the pothole-ridden, dust-choked path leaves commuters in misery, their vehicles battered and spirits broken.
Even more frustrating is the fact that this issue is not hidden from the authorities. Names like Hon. Sesi Oluwaseun Whingan, a native of Ikoga-Zebbe and a House of Representatives member; Hon. Ibrahim Layode, Commissioner for Home Affairs; Hon. Mobolaji Ogunlende, Commissioner for Youth and Social Development; Hon. Setonji David and Hon. Solomon Bonu, Lagos Assembly members; and the local council chairmen Hon. Onilude Segun Adeniran (Badagry) and Hon. Samson Folorunso Olatunde (Olorunda) have all been made aware of this road’s condition. Year after year, they’ve reassured the people that the road is in the state budget — notably the 2023, 2024, and even the 2025 appropriation bills. Engineers have come to take GPS coordinates, survey the area — yet, nothing follows.
What exactly is our offense? Why are the people of Mowo, Abia, Ikoga-Zebbe, Javie, Iragon, Iragbo, Lagoon-Thogli, Agbovipe, Panko, Itohun, Erekiti, Erekiti-Ajido, Ajara, and other Badagry communities treated as outsiders in their own state? While Lagos Island, Lekki, and Ikeja flourish with flyovers, expressways, and urban renewal projects, these communities are left in pain and perpetual suffering.
To be fair, Governor Sanwo-Olu’s administration has made commendable strides in infrastructure across many parts of Lagos. But that commendation rings hollow when entire populations are sidelined, as though they are not citizens of the same state. The THEME Plus agenda, which promises inclusivity and development across all sectors, loses meaning when people are left behind.
This road — the Mowo-Ikoga axis and its extension to Ajara via Ikoga-Zebbe and Iragon — has become more than a failed project. It is a stain on the legacy of this administration. No amount of PR campaigns or media tours can cover the pain of a mother who loses her child in floodwaters or a farmer who can’t transport his goods to market due to an impassable road.
If truly the goal is to make Lagos a smart, inclusive, and sustainable mega city, then this road must be fixed — not tomorrow, not next year, but now.
Until that is done, the Mowo-Ikoga Road will remain a glaring indictment on the “smart city” promise and a daily reminder to the people of Badagry that they are being left behind.
Dansu is the Publisher of Badagry Today and a former Lagos State House of Assembly aspirant for Badagry Constituency II.
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