Lagos! A City of Infrastructure Deficit

Lagos a state in the southwestern part of Nigeria is known as the center of excellence. Ironically this excellence has not been reflected in the city as it lacks adequate infrastructures to meet the needs of its resident.?Lagos is one of the most populous cities in Nigeria with about 15 million inhabitants. Lagos is adjudged a city for all. It’s a city where everyone comes for a better living.?

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Despite the revenue generated by the state, the highest in the country, and as much as a whopping N45 billion ($108 million) per month according to a report by the Guardian newspaper in 2022, there has been nothing much to show for its infrastructure.?

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Aside from the glimpse and glare of the city, there's an underlining problem of infrastructure deficit. The problem has become more evident in the rainy season with floods ravaging all the corners of the city.?There have been several reports of floods almost consuming major roads and posing risks to road users. There are also not many emergency response plans from the relevant quarters.?

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Another endemic infrastructure issue associated with the city is traffic congestion with no ending solution to it. Residents of the city spend an average of three hours every day in traffic, fifteen hours a week, sixty hours every month, and seven hundred and twenty hours per year. This is the loss of productive hours wasted in the never-ending unpredictable traffic of the center of excellence.

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Further to this is the poor management of waste. It’s a common sight to see heaps of domestic waste gathered on the streets with intense odour and stench posing a major health risk to its inhabitants.

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Potable water for the residents is also a luxury. The majority of the houses in the city provide their own source of water supply with the government doing next to nothing about either providing portable water or ensuring that individual water sources meet required standards.?

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For the state to meet up with its slogan as the center of excellence, public transportation must be encouraged to minimise traffic on roads, management of traffic should be improved by penalising violators of traffic rules, and existing drainage must be desilted and cleared of waste to allow for the flow of rainwater easily, more drainage must be constructed and structures blocking drainage channels must be pulled down. There has to be a comprehensive and sustainable plan to manage waste generated. Waste should be reduced reused and recycled. The use of plastics must be discouraged by the government. Plans must also be in place for the provision of potable water to its inhabitants. When these are done, Lagos will live to its slogan as the center of excellence but as it is at the moment it is a center of infrastructure deficit.