One of the many reasons productivity is extremely low in Nigeria in spite of the long hours at work is due to the chaotic traffic situation in Lagos, Nigeria.  Many professionals are physically present at work for approximately 16 hours, yet less than 8 hours are spent effectively.

The traffic situation has taken its toll on the health and welfare of the citizenry. The impact may not be immediate but this probably contributes to the number of young professionals who die or get maimed from stress related illnesses and diseases; accidents; armed robberies and violent crimes yearly. The typical day starts at probably 4:00AM and ends 12 mid-night (Nigerian time) ensuring that the individual spends less than 6 hours of the day outside work. The need for a ‘concerted’ effort to fix the Lagos traffic problem becomes pertinent each day: The citizenry and government have complimentary roles to play in reversing the situation. Neither one of them can solely fix the problem.

What do we do?

1) Car Pooling:
How about more people in the same car if they work in the same place or close to each other thereby saving time, taking more cars off the road ultimately reducing traffic, saving gas and reducing green house emissions or that terrible carbon monoxide from your car’s exhaust pipe.

2) Using the Staff Bus:
Every employee that has a car but hops along with the staff bus takes one car off Lagos road. Countless company buses are driven at less than full capacity on the infamous Third Mainland Bridge.

3) Using Electronic Communication Channels:
Nigeria already has the largest telephone subscriber base in Africa and several Nigerians have their radios tuned in to some favourite channel in the morning. We need to use this electronic media to reach people and intimate them of the traffic situation thereby providing ample time to consider alternative routes.

4) Developing the Water Ways and Implementing a Light Rail System:
The Lagos waterways provide ample opportunity to invest in water transportation. People park their cars in the morning at the car pool by the jetty in the Lagos mainland, hop into the boat to take them to Lagos Island and then head back the same way. All these can only work if we invest in complimentary transportation media such as a light rail system and a bus transportation system that is efficient and timely.

Most importantly, as multitudes in our society advocate lesser government, the ‘Build, Operate and Transfer’ (BOT) or ‘Concessionary’ model should be utilized in developing this badly needed infrastructure.

In all, the Lagos traffic situation has reached a point where we all need to join hands in fixing the situation. We need to stop sleeping in our cars and on the roads. The bed at home was acquired for a good night sleep!