Lagos bad roads… The ruin to productivity, creativity and humanity of a mega city

It was like the story from a Nollywood movie. But it happened in real life and just days ago. It happened to my cousin. Friday is his name.

He decided to bring his heavily pregnant wife, Regina and two children to visit and spend the Christmas with me. So, they set out of Benin to Lagos.

They had a far less stressful five hours drive until they got to the Redeem Camp axis of the Ibadan-Lagos expressway and the stress of their life started.

Besides coming to spend the festive season with me, the real reason my cousin decided he was going to spend time with me was because he had been selected among the shortlisted contractors for an Oil and Gas Project. The man who had facilitated the deal suddenly called him the night before that he should be in Lagos the next day before 3pm so he can get ready for the interview that had been scheduled unexpectedly for this day.

Friday’s calculation was that if he leaves Benin at about 7am, he would, plus or minus, arrive my place at about 12 noon to prepare himself for the presentation.

The contract was worth over $2.5 million and Friday was favored among the five shortlisted Contractors because his bid was just what the multinational Oil company wanted. Others, however, stood a good chance too… as standbys.

The traffic gridlock that gripped the expressway at Redeem Camp on this day was so terrible that my cousin was practically on the edge when he looked at his watch and discovered he was still held up in traffic there at about 1.30pm and he had to make it to Ota where I live, prepare himself and get to Victoria Island in Lagos before 3pm.

Meanwhile, his facilitator was also experiencing anxieties waiting for him, monitoring his journey via phone conversation. At a point, Friday could no longer trust himself on the steering because his emotion was getting the better of him.

Thankfully, his pregnant wife who had been uneasily calm all this while, could drive. So, she took over the driving from her husband who was by now emotionally in pieces and almost in tears. Were they going to lose this big break of their lives to this horrible, terrible Lagos traffic!

Regina’s Expected Due Date (EDD) was few days away. The traffic was bumper to bumper and it was now driving Regina crazy. But she kept her cool. Then their worst fears hit them. The car in front of them got bashed by one of these lawless commercial vehicle drivers and an argument ensued. That held the traffic for another 30-45 minutes.

I was also having my own stress waiting for them as I was kept abreast of every development of that fateful journey. When Friday called me, I could hear the noise of the characters who had caused this second round, albeit side traffic jam, as they were screaming at each other and my Friday saying “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God…Chris am dead… am dead…what is this!”

At this point, it was Regina’s turn to explode because she had reached her breaking point and boy, did she break. Labor got her and that was how the story changed and the shouting stopped and she became the center of attention.

There was no way any car could pass in the mad gridlock they found themselves. Passengers, passersby and car owners came out to deliver Regina. To cut the long story short, Regina was delivered of a bouncing baby in a make shift clinic in the traffic.

Friday’s facilitator was no longer sure whether to get angry, sympathize or rejoice with this poor friend he wanted to help get this huge contract.

Thankfully, his boss and all members of the panel were carried along with pictures and videos of this historic event of the birth of a baby inside Lagos traffic jam. The emotionally overwhelmed Americans were so carried away by the whole drama they had to award the contract to Friday on humanitarian grounds without conducting the interviews as planned.

There and then, my overjoyed cousin named his born baby ‘Victory’, his exhausted wife smiled and said he is also ‘Success.’

That was the story of my cousin in the crazy Lagos traffic. He had spent close to five hours driving all the way from Benin to Lagos and spent another five hours or more for a journey that should have taken him less than 40-45 minutes within Lagos.

This is the daily trauma Lagosians and Nigerians among others coming in to Lagos go through each time. While this the daily reality Lagos residents go through every day.

Friday was lucky his experience turned out, miraculously, good for him. Millions of Lagosians and others do not get that lucky as they face this stress which has continued to damage and jeopardized lives, hopes and dreams.

The unending traffic situation in Lagos has virtually defied all solutions just as it has outlasted successive administrations in the State, from the military to the civilian. The bottom line of this menace is that it affects the individual psychologically and emotionally and these in turn result in depression. Ultimately, productivity is what suffers and the aggregate impact on the economy of the State could be overwhelming.

For a resident who works in Victoria Island or Lekki but lives in Alimosho to make it to work every day, he has to leave his house as early as 4 a.m. Yet, traffic begins to build, although slightly, as early as 5-5.30 a.m, as he reaches further into the metropolis as he heads to the Island.

Doing this five working days of the week weakens the body, subjecting it to frequent exhaustion.

Some organizations care about staff productivity which impact on the worker’s output per hours worked. If I can make two shoes in two hours, my productivity can be measured as one shoe per two hours. Organizations care about productivity because it determines how competitive they are – the higher your productivity, the more competitive you are.

To achieve this, human resources need to be effectively utilized, because the ultimate source of value is people. When employees perform below their potential, the organization and the person suffer an unrealized loss.

Using information from a mix of industries in Lagos, peak traffic times and worker questionnaires, one study found that spending extra hours in traffic has an adverse effect on a worker’s productivity.

Moreover, the longer the travel distance, the more work ‘suffers’. For example, the output level of workers that covered a distance of 5-10 km was not negatively affected.

By reducing worker productivity, traffic hits both people and firms. This way, it also reduces overall economic output. Understanding this, the Lagos State Governor estimates that the city loses ₦42 billion each year to traffic jams.

Studies have established a link between commute time and individual wellbeing  which has so much to do with that individual’s happiness. Workers that spend more time in traffic report lower overall life satisfaction. Spending more time on the road heightens stress levels due to the daily rush, and a 2012 study found that longer commutes have health implications as they make room for weight gain and decreased cardiorespiratory fitness.

According to social scientists, happier workers are more productive. Positive emotions influence the work capacity of an individual as it promotes innovation, improves memory and boosts creativity. So, if long commute times affect happiness and happiness affects productivity, the link between traffic and productivity becomes evident. The more time you spend in traffic, the unhappier you get, and the less productive you become.

Few things unite Lagosians like traffic jams; sitting in traffic for hours, often with no reason for the blockage, and no end in sight. Traffic is so embedded in the city’s psyche that Lagos is considered one of the worst cities in the world to drive in.

Roads are the most popular mode of transport for Lagos’ over 21 million residents. The State lags behind major cities in utilizing efficient public transport systems; rail, urban capacity buses and water transportation are relatively underdeveloped in the city, making roads the go-to form of mobility.

To manage this daunting challenge, the Lagos State Government put some measures in place to tackle traffic. It created LASTMA (Lagos state traffic management authority) in 2000 as a traffic control agency. While the agency is often scorned for ineptitude and fraud, its work on transport management cannot be discounted as residents benefit from their efforts to ease traffic.

Furthermore, the bus rapid transit scheme (BRT), a bus system on dedicated routes, has been running in Lagos since 2008. BRT buses run on special lanes, making congestion on the highway less of a worry. While it requires more capacity and route expansions, many Lagos workers consider it as their go-to mode of transport as they arrive their places of work without sitting for too long in traffic.

Despite these, traffic in Lagos persists and is likely to do so given population and infrastructure trends. Considering the big picture, one thing is clear from the Lagos traffic situation, and it is that managing its impact is more than just a walk in the park.

With a landmass of about 3,600 square kilometers, Lagos is the smallest state in Nigeria, representing just 0.4% of the entire country. However, over eight million people travel to work each day on the 9,100 roads and expressways available in Lagos. These figures portray overcrowding as Lagos has too many people and too few roads.

The state’s wealth compared to the rest of the country also means that it is overrun by too many cars and drivers on the road. With over five million registered vehicles on its roads, Lagos has an average of 200 vehicles per kilometer, exceeding the national average of 11 vehicles. Without the corresponding improvement in infrastructure and transport services, the increase in population and vehicle use has resulted in Lagos’ infamous ‘go-slows’.

As millions of commuters’ rush to move around a congested city at the same time, people are forced to “wait in line” to get to their destination.

Lots of problems emanate from poor road condition. The nature of road problems varies from local government to local government. In Apapa and Ikeja local government areas, the greatest problem is narrow roads. In Alimosho and Shomolu, the major problem is potholes. In Eti-Osa, Kosofe and Mushin it is lack of street light. The problem of street light creates insecurity at night in these areas. Potholes had been causing accidents and damage to cars, delay in traffic movement and robbery at hold-ups.  The loss in man hours and air pollution arising from poor road condition is enormous and thus the need for increased budget allocation for road maintenance and rehabilitation.

Residents of Apapa local government area incur the highest cost of N15,300.00 per month while those living in Ikeja local government area have the least mean cost of N8,5.06 The residents are also serious that the conditions of roads in their area be improved and are willing to pay for it. The implication of this is that the residents have displayed a sense of commitment for infrastructural sustainability in their area. The mean expenditure for a particular area is dependent on the condition of road and type of cars used. The level of averting cost can influence demand preference.

There should be a radical change in infrastructure provision policy in the country as the current top bottom approach does not achieve the desired result and fails to meet public expectations. The bottom-top or demand driven approach should be embraced as this will make residents and urban households more committed to its funding where cost recovery is of essence.

Government can promote public private partnership through introduction of subsidy in infrastructure. For example, if the people’s willingness to pay (WTP) cannot sustain private investment in infrastructure, governments can provide subsidy by being responsible for part of the capital cost, while the extent of cost that can be sustained by households WTP is provided by the private investor.

This will help when high standard of infrastructure is of essence. Subsidy can also hold when government has a limited budget and urban households want a higher specification or standard of infrastructure. Households will then be asked to pay the difference between the expected standard and the budgeted sum. This situation is most relevant in areas of water, sanitation and road projects. Inadequate infrastructure can have multiple effects on health, and thereby on individual labor and productivity as well as quality of life.

Proper pricing is a veritable tool for efficient and sustainable infrastructure provision. It is necessary for financing of service delivery, rationing of consumption to an economically efficient level, and also to provide an indicator for demand. Providers should ensure that prices should be able to recover cost for all infrastructure services except those with significant positive externalities and for very few services, to ensure that poor households have access. Payment of fee must be associated or linked to service delivery and any significant fee increase must result from service enhancement or improvement.

 Imposing user fees to recover cost may be politically difficult in the short run as urban households are used to receiving underpriced services. In spite of this difficulty, pricing is central to improved service delivery system. On the contrary, failure to properly price services could be politically dangerous because inadequate services will lead to dissatisfied urban residents and poor business, resulting in poor economic growth.

 Infrastructure reforms cannot be achieved in the absence of an efficient regulatory system. Governments all over the world are transforming their infrastructure sector to better meet the needs of consumers and regulatory reform is an essential part of this process. A good regulatory system must serve the interest of consumers. In this respect, the need to separate operation of facilities and regulation of service quality is very central. The regulatory authorities must be able to regulate the reliability and output of infrastructure providers.

Recently, the administration of Babajide Sanwo-Olu decided among other outlined approach to tackling the traffic situation in the State, began junctions improvement in four locations in the State.

This infrastructural improvement on four identified junctions across the State, which began on Friday 27th December, was designed to mitigate traffic menace.

The areas are: 2nd Roundabout Lekki/Epe Expressway, Ikotun, Allen Avenue and Maryland are the areas that would be worked on.

The move is in fulfillment of its promise to unlock traffic gridlock in the 60 trouble zones identified at the beginning of the administration.

Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde conducted journalists round some of the junctions/roundabouts where improvement work and reordering were ongoing. He said the projects were in line with the administration’s commitment to easing traffic congestion in the State.

Oladeinde observed that some of the roundabouts could no longer meet the demands of the increased population in Lagos, stressing that they had outlived their usefulness and that the current traffic challenges encountered in the identified axes demanded an urgent remodeling for long-lasting solutions.

The Commissioner, who was accompanied on the tour of the infrastructure projects by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso, stressed that pedestrian activities, huge vehicular traffic and overburdened roundabout structures were responsible for the heavy congestion that caused operational challenges and delay during the peak hours, disclosing further that the makeover projects would be completed within the next four months.

While addressing journalists before embarking on the tour of projects, Oladeinde said remodeling the four roundabouts would include demolition and accommodation of synchronized signalization to control traffic, reduce travel time, reduce traffic congestion to the barest minimum and ensure all-round safety as well as create favorable environment for improved economic growth and development.

The Commissioner assured Lagosians that officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) would be present at the designated locations to manage traffic flow, urging residents to bear with the State government while the project lasted.

Also speaking, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Omotoso urged Lagosians to be patient and cooperative with the State Government in confronting the challenges of fixing road infrastructure, assuring that the Governor was committed to ensuring a safer Lagos for all.

While addressing journalists at Maryland roundabout, Omotoso said though all the statues and aesthetics at the roundabout would be removed to give way to traffic, he assured that the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture would relocate them to other locations for more aesthetic value, assuring that the artefacts would not rot away.

Omotoso disclosed that two alternative routes had also been created at Sunmola and Bush Streets inside Mende, Maryland to further ease the traffic flow in and outward Ojota as well as Ikeja bound movement.

In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transportation, Mr. Sewedo Whenu, assured that relevant agencies would be deployed to ensure the rapid movement of traffic during the project.

Engineers in Lagos State converged at the NECA Hall on Thursday 26th December, 2019, on the occasion of the Lagos Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Civil Engineers (NICE) Annual Dinner/Award ceremony, to talk about the practice of their profession and its impact on the infrastructure problems confronting the State.

The theme of the program was: Social Responsibility of Engineers for Sustainability of our Environment.

The keynote speaker, Engr. Christy Adelowo delivered the lecture that explored the theme. In her impassioned address, she was able to convince her colleagues on the need to put a human face to the delivery of their service. For instance, when the Engineer is awarded kilometers of road to design and construct, does he consider the life of the communities on whose land the road would be constructed? “Do you think about the compensation that would be given to the people of the community through which the road would pass…?” she asked.

According to her, the lives and livelihoods of the people and the culture of that community would virtually depend on how the Engineer manage the job he has been given.

The Special Guest at the Program, the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Works and Infrastructure Engr. Aramide Adeyoye gave an inspiring remark to drive home the point that she is the new sheriff in town on the Works and Infrastructure sector of the State and she is out to ensure that she gets the job done in the interest of the people of Lagos State.

She also seized the opportunity to enlighten her colleagues on the plans the State government has for the fourth Mainland bridge.

Engr. Lola Adetona who is the Chairman of the Chapter said the vision of the body is to be a globally recognized platform that would become the pride of all civil engineers both in the State and Nigeria at large, while its mission is to make unique contributions to the development process of the State and the country by constituting the body into a reservoir of civil engineers with specialized knowledge, experience and skill, constantly updated through the highest standards of continuing professional development program.

One of NICE’s major objectives, according to her is to establish and maintain standards for the practice of civil Engineering.

Nine convicts got the Christmas gifts that have turned their lives around from the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu when on Wednesday 25th December 2019, he signed two Executive Orders, with one commuting death sentences of three convicted inmates to life imprisonment and the other setting free six others.

The two Orders; Executive Commutation of Death Sentence Order and Executive Grant of Clemency Order were signed by the Governor on Christmas day and are both expected to take immediate effect.

Speaking earlier on the two orders at the Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina, Lagos where he observed the Christmas Day service with his family, Sanwo-Olu said Nigerians should return to God with hearts of gratitude for His protection over the country and Lagos State, saying despite the numerous challenges facing the nation, she is growing stronger.

The Governor said the Christmas period is a season of reflection, blessings and gift.

‘‘As a nation as and as a State, it is only appropriate for us to count our blessings and reflect on those things that have happened to us in the course of the year and how we can improve them and be better citizens.

‘‘For us as a state, it is also a season of giving back, so I have also signed a small release of some convicts that we have in the various prisons; people who have been given death sentences have been reduced to life sentences and some who have been jailed for minor offences have also been given warning and have asked for them to be pardoned.’’ Sanwo-Olu stated.

The Lagos State Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy in the performance of its statutory functions under the Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy Law 2015 considered applications from convicted inmates and upon due consideration of the applications, recommended the commutation of death sentences to life imprisonment, in respect of three convicted inmates.

The affected inmates are:

1)      MUHAMMED ABDULKADIRI (M)

2)      MOSES AKPAN (M)

3)      SUNDAY OKONDO (M)

The Order for Clemency affects six other inmates who have been set free from different correctional centres around the country. They are:

1)      BESTMAN DENNAR

2)      WASIU JIMOH

3)      AUGUSTINE OPARA

4)      FOLAKEMI OSIN (F)

5)      REBECCA DANLADI (F)

6)      NJOKU OGECHI (F)

Governor Sanwo-Olu enjoined Lagos residents to continue to be law abiding, advising the residents to do things in moderation.

He said: ‘‘I want to send out a message to Lagosians that this is a season of peace. Let us live peacefully and do things in moderation. Let us understand that even while we are celebrating, we must do it with modesty and with a lot of decorum. Let us all remain peaceful, law abiding and humble.’’

The Executive Orders have been delivered to the State’s Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), who will deliver them to the Prisons Service for immediate action.

Soon Technology would be adopted to manage the services of the Lagos State Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS). In other words, the VIS will now discharge its statutory duties with the use of technology as Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Tuesday 24th December, 2019 commissioned the new operational headquarters with full automation of its activities.

The construction and delivery of the ultramodern edifice is the activation of transportation blueprint initiated by the administration of Governor Sanwo-Olu to ensure efficient traffic management across the State.

While opening the building, the Governor noted that there had been substantial improvement in the implementation of the State’s traffic laws with the introduction of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and Lagos Computerized Vehicle Inspection Services (LACVIS).

He added that the digital initiatives had complemented other electronic services introduced in the transportation sector to boost the State’s capacity in realizing the ‘Smart City’ aspiration and transforming the economy.

He said: “With the commissioning of this new operational headquarters for VIS officers, we are consolidating on the progress we have recorded so far in transforming the transportation sector. VIS plays a critical role in ensuring that vehicles that ply our routes do not constitute dangers to the commuters.

“Vehicles that break down are major contributors to traffic gridlocks in Lagos, which result in avoidable losses of productive life and time. We must minimize this destructive breakdown of unworthy vehicles through strict enforcement of relevant laws aided by the application of modern technology.”

Sanwo-Olu said the objective of the automated system introduced was to ensure that enforcement of transportation laws did not impact negatively on the flow of traffic.

Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Fredric Oladeinde, described the feat as “another giant stride” recorded by the Sanwo-Olu administration, adding that the new office would provide conducive working environment for VIS officers and enhance their operational efficiency.

He said: “This edifice accommodates all arms of the Directorate of Vehicle Inspection Service; Head of Division, Planning and Research, Pre-Registration Inspection Unit, back-end office for the ANPR enforcement system, conference room and training section.

“The building accommodates Motor Vehicle Administration Agency (MVAA) and the Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC) to provide synergy with sister agencies by ensuring quick, prompt and quality one-stop service delivery to the public at large.”

Oladeinde disclosed that the State Government had completed four additional LACVIS Centers in Ojota, Yaba, Olowu and Ibeju Lekki, bringing the centers to 16 across the State.

He added that the use of ANPR in the enforcement of vehicles’ documentation had brought down the frequency of heavy gridlocks associated with the operation of VIS officers.

With the new automated system of the VIS, the State Government can now enforce traffic laws with digital devices and monitor vehicles’ compliance with speed limits. The digitized process has also made it easy for Government to issue fines for offenders in their absence