In response to the major traffic congestion that brought parts of Victoria Island, Lagos, to a standstill on Wednesday, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has taken full responsibility for the disruption and advised Lagosians to adapt their routines during the ongoing infrastructure-related road activities.
Speaking on the incident, Governor Sanwo-Olu acknowledged the need for better communication and enforcement, while urging residents to embrace remote work and digital alternatives where possible.
“If you don’t have business to do in Victoria Island in the next two to three weeks, conduct your business via social media, telephones, Zoom, and online meetings,” he advised.
Drawing comparisons to adaptive measures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic, the governor emphasized the importance of proactive travel planning, restricted physical movement, and the use of alternative routes to ease pressure on key road corridors.
While apologizing for the inconvenience, Sanwo-Olu reiterated his administration’s commitment to delivering long-term road and traffic improvements in Lagos, calling for patience and cooperation from the public during this critical period of development.
Ensure that you can communicate and work from home to ease traffic, so we can all move more freely. If you do not need to go out at 7 o’clock, wait until 10 o’clock. Let those who must leave at 7 o’clock go first and defer your time.
"Let the people who need to come out by 7 o’clock do so. If you do not need to, defer your time until 10 a.m. You can see that the approach from Victoria Island to Marina is free—there is no movement at all. We are also considering counterflow, using all of the traffic information we already have. One thing I want to assure you is that you will see a lot of LASTMA officers on the road. We are calling them in from other parts of the city so they can be present here."
On Wednesday, Lagos residents were stranded due to heavy traffic, reportedly caused by ongoing construction in the Lagos Island axis and the closure of the Independence Bridge.