Lagos—the city that never sleeps—was not a metaphor yesterday as a percentage of Lagosians actually spent the night on the road. Tell me why.
April 2nd, 2025 is a day Lagosians won’t forget in a hurry. The traffic was a nightmare and it all began when repair work on the Independence Bridge started on April 1st, forcing its closure and pushing commuters onto alternative routes.
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With the Independence Bridge closed and an early-morning downpour, Lagos saw traffic like never before. Commuters left home at 5 AM, arrived at work by 2 PM, and by 1 AM, they were still on the road. No city can beat this – Lagos might have just won an award – the traffic jam of the nation!
Lagos State,
The Traffic Jam of the Nation#Lagos #LagosTraffic pic.twitter.com/Ade5LCXtSA
— Mr Bugzy | CJE (@DjayBugzy) April 3, 2025
Victoria Island and Ikoyi were the worst hit, with most streets witnessing bumper-to-bumper traffic. A Lagosian who decided to trek said he did 9km! On a moderate pace, that is 1 hour 30 minutes of walking you didn’t plan for.
Yesterday, I did 9km because of this chaotic and unnecessary traffic. All thanks to the Government’s senselessness. #lagos pic.twitter.com/ZkCn3ldK90
— BolajiOM (@BolajiOM) April 3, 2025
For a few hours, traffic made everyone equal both rich and poor. Police escort could not help anybody because nobody could move. Some slept in their cars, while those who could afford it, parked their cars on the road and checked into nearby hotels. Lagos humbled everyone.
Lagos Traffic ain’t for the weak
pic.twitter.com/WOgxhYCBRq
— The SGF 🇳🇬 (@Yeribaaba) April 3, 2025
Other states didn’t hold back, they mocked Lagosians mercilessly. “Five hours in traffic? Is this life?” they asked. According to one PH resident, while Lagosians sleep and wake in traffic, by 8 PM in PH, the roads are empty. And so, they can’t relate.
People living in Lagos are suffering o.
How will someone leave their house around 5am to work and return home around 2am because of traffic and still go back to work again around 5am?
Have this happened anywhere else in Nigeria?
— Chinielle (@Chiniel5) April 3, 2025
Some finished an entire series, others read two books in that traffic. While some were doing analysis paralysis, others used the opportunity to create content. Curious though, what if sh*t catch you inside that traffic?
Lagosians creating content inside Lagos island traffic.
— iFineDie🇳🇬 (@ifinedie_) April 3, 2025
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Traffic to the Island and back is always brutal, so why was this decision made without considering the residents? People are using this moment to demand an underground train network saying Lagos desperately needs it. With bad roads, and a lack of alternative routes, something has to change. But will you enter an underground train in Lagos?
My neighbor left lekki by 12:00 PM yesterday and got home 5:15 AM today. 17 hours in Lagos Traffic.
Shey na Mega City be this abi na Mega chicken? https://t.co/6qso34LTRN pic.twitter.com/DmM8cE6EGR
— Fatai Sanni (@Fatai_py) April 3, 2025
Political analysts rose up to the occasion, they pointed out that Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour (GRV), governorship aspirant in the last election proposed short bridges in his manifesto but he wasn’t elected because he was not “Yoruba enough.” According to them, traffic management is a critical part of civil engineering, yet it seems those in charge of Lagos’ roads either don’t understand it or simply don’t consider it.
When GRV was teaching everyone town planning and how to use short bridges to connect different parts of Lagos, they said he is not fluent in Yoruba. Now we are fluent in traffic.
— Chukx (@chukx_DRext) April 3, 2025
Most commuters spent upwards of six hours on distances that ordinarily would take them two to three hours. Transport fares shot up by over 100 per cent. When the cries of Lagosians rose to the high heavens, the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi directed the immediate reopening of the Independence Bridge. Medicine after death or whatever they call it. It is well.
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