Stand Still In Lagos [Mr President Is Visiting]

Mr President, Rtd. General Mohammadu Buhari is visiting Lagos today. It is one of a kind of a visit. Lagos as you know is one of the most evolving cities in the world and the commercial hub of Lagos. 

At inception of office, the APC led government made a lot of promises during the political campaign that brought her to office, one of which was to provide food security to the nation. That dream has since been tagged a mirage until when the news started making the rounds that Dangote group of companies will be commissioning a fertiliser plant in the Lekki region of Lagos, the same place where the company is building the largest crude oil refinery in Africa. 

By calculation, most of the fertilizers produced here are not even meant for Nigerian farmers. The target is to supply parts of the world who would pay value for the products. 

Many factors could be responsible for this. The first is that the Nigerian government is placing a heavy tax on the producer of the products because the selling price may be too high for the Nigerian farmers to afford. 

Lagos Traffic Today

Before I continue the analysing process of the fertiliser plant, let's divert a little to the traffic matters of today. 

Lagos already has an issue with traffic. The rush hour syndrome after work everyday is one of such times when we don't want to be held in traffic. 

Now, our dear and beloved president has come on a visit and unfortunately, the whole access roads are blocked. Movement becomes almost impossible in the area between Lagos Island to Ajah and the Ibeju-Lekki axis of the city. 

I feel a structured transport or mobility channel should have been designed to facilitate movement of commuters and goods but as always, the Nigerian factor has overridden common sense. 

Common sense is now very scarce. 

Movement of Mr President

The president is expected to arrive at the international airport in Lagos, then fly a chopper to the Lekki Free Trade Zone where the fertiliser plant is established. This may be as a result of the traffic congestion in the areas between the airport and the plant. 

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However, the entourage of the president may not all be aboard the chopper with him to the plant from the airport, some may be located in some strategic part of the city, to gather intelligence and abort any plan negative to the president's visit. 

Solving The Lagos Traffic Wahala

Wahala is trouble. It's a pidgin word that has received the attention of linguists in contemporary times. 

Lagos traffic could be attached to different things but one thing I have learned to affect the free flow of passengers and goods in Lagos is the human factor. 

That means that the Lagos traffic wahala can be solved. 

Instead of all the brouhaha, the government should enforce law and order on our roads and not play games with human lives. 

Every city is peculiar in some ways. Hence, our peculiarities make us responsible for our flaws. To tackle this problem, we have to be sincere.

The location of touts or garage boys as they are fondly called, on our major roads is another reason the traffic keeps tensing up. The touts are employed by the government to collect tolls from motorists. 

We Can Have The Biggest Farming Sector In The World

I hate to say it but it is true. We have one of the best arable farmlands in the world. Nigeria is blessed with such good land that can be used for agricultural purposes. 

With the level or volume of fertilisers that are produced in Nigeria, we could apply the use to farming here and secure our space with enough food and begin the export of the excess to other countries. I think that should be the focus of our government. 

As much as exporting the fertilisers to Brazil and Japan is fine and at least it will add to our GDP, we need them too. 

Our government should be begin to focus on local manufacturing of food and other products. Our dependability is cause us too much.

I hope I have spoken OUR minds.

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