Good thread, i bet it will really take a great effort for this to see the light of the day, more people pumping into the state and you can bet this more traffic,

other posters have summed it up.

The first problem is chronic government misplacement of priorities and unequal development agenda. National development must affect every citizen.

Let me explain.

1. Government spends billions on stadiums and miami style airport terminals that many cannot afford to watch matches in or fly from. Development must be sustained and universal.

So the govt should start by stopping all luxurious expenditure and focus on infrastructure development and job creation. If these things exist in suburbs/rural towns, people wont flock to lagos.

2. It doesnt take that long to build rail tracks. Nor is nigeria not rich enough to build these. what was the money realised from the recent crude price hike used for? Govt must be accountable. it beggars belief that till date there has not been one single leadership (and i mean president + senate house) that truly has the interest of the street beggar at heart. How do these men feel when they are driving in their jeeps and driving past beggars and ghastly motor accidents. If a govt is not performing they must be ousted. So point 2 is rail lines must be built and water ways in VI for instance must be used.

3. Modern amenities must be brought to rural areas asap. When Abacha et al funds are recovered from swiss accs, these should be either used to develop villages or given to them in free handouts. Why free? Because the money was realised from crude (which accounts for over 90% of revenue) and hence belongs to them too.

This way, poeple wount need to come to lag.

Out of everybody's posts it was DisGuy's post that made the most sense. I can't believe that in 2008 people are still trying to rely on government to do everything, the bottom line is that government should have a very small role to play in managing business such as transportation (someone suggested subsidized buses, WTF?). Government should make Lagos a place for investors I think we even need to privatize our transport system from buses to ferries, as for rail I think it's extremely important that a rail lines be built. Here's what I think:

1) We need to make it more attractive for citizens ditch their cars and use public transportation, that's the bottomline. If Nigerians want to do "big man" or "big madam" that's their problem but don't complain when there's traffic because everybody wants to drive. In addition to that I think very strict MOT tests need to be done and MOT certificates/stickers need to be issued because the last thing we need are dangerous and unsanitary coffins with wheels plying our roads.

2) Lagos needs to privatize public transportation. Can you imagine if there were five major bus companies running clean, efficient buses plying BRT routes? That would be Ideal and would go a long way in helping the traffic situation. In addition to buses we need ferries (water taxis) and rail all of which needs to be privatized and properly regulated.

3) Lagos also needs housing and like someone said earlier this idea that people get homes and expasive land is quite unnecessary especially in a city like Lagos. We need to start utilizing space by building vertically instead of horizontally. If you want space then move to Ogun but Lagos as a city catering to 15 million people space is something we can't afford to throw away. I suggest more row homes more multistory homes etc. I also think Lagos needs a revolutionary public housing system that would make it attractive to own a home. I've been studying the Singporean system for a while and I think we need to start looking at their model for Lagos.

return to villages,

@ Pappy

Your post makes sense.

But if private funds of Companies are used to develop the country then who is the oil money going to.

I believe the government is accountable for the revenue of the country; I agree that government should not be relied upon too much.

But if people open up Lagos Development Plc and float equity, thats fine - but we still need to put in govt revenues and dats where d govt must be held (and they have a bad history at funds management)!

i discussed dis issue wit ma sis severallly,thank God its cumin up here, ma opinion may sound stupid,but i think anyone cumin 2 lagos 4 any reason shuld b issued visas, funny shey, but its too much now , every one wants 2 cum 2 lagos, ah ah with or without ambitions,and also anyone caught wanderin or livin aimless lives should b sent back 2 his or her home town or village, i also think lagos state government should stop companies 4rm openin more branches in lagos ,encouragin dem 2 move down 2 oda states, ma candid opinion, ,i beg una before lagos go sink better one day oooo,

To me the question really is "Does the government (Federal and State) want to decongest Lagos"? I do not think so. I'm sure some people somewhere are profiteering (economical, political and otherwise) from the congestion of Lagos.

Otherwise, how can one explain a man like Obasanjo ruling for eight years and not touching Lagos-Ibadan expressway, the most important route in the Western part of the country and the busiest exit from Lagos.

Is it not this congestion that is making every foreign company coming to Africa wanting to come to Nigeria (Lagos) by all means? And these people in government cut deals with them to sign them in. I read in some business nespaper somewhere that Lagos was built to accomodate 100,000 people; now there are 14 million people living in Lagos. My people, some people are 'enjoying' Lagos as it is and making money out of it and they do not care to de-congest it o!

We Nigerians should start taking our past governments to courts for 'failed governance'

Obalende, oil money can be used for better things like developing a sovereign wealth fund and even saving (reserves). I'm not saying government shouldn't spend but with what Nigeria currently has ($63 billion) it's no way near enough for 140 million people. With even 10% of our population we can encourage more people to invest and in turn create more jobs for people. All these ideas about issuing visas is ridiculous and damn near laughable, we're suffering enough marginalization in the country as it is the last thing we need is to complicate the problem even more.

congestion charges, like in the UK

Traffic in Lagos is horrible, it takes me three hours to get to work, i have to leave my house by 5am.
Now lagos is an island, the next logical step would be how to develop an efficient water transport system, it is very practical and cost effective, if i am working in Ikeja and leave in Ajah, i should be able to take a ferry from ajah to cms and then from cms to ikeja, there should be terminal in different parts of lagos, the ferries should be of good standard in order to attract the average nigerian.
Developing water transportation has to be the next logical step for the lagos traffic chaos, like i said LAGOS IS AN ISLAND,AN EFFICIENT WATER TRANSPORT SYSTEM WILL SOLVE D PROBLEM,lagos has a population of 18 million people, if ten person use the waterways,this will surely degongest lagos roads

@ pappy

i perfectly agree. swindling must stop too for us to have reserves but thats another issue.

Improving the transportation system (land and water) is one way of reducing traffic but , i think it is a short term solution to the problem, even if the transpotation system is perfect, and the rest of the country is not developed we will be wasting our time because in the long run (10-20 years to come) the 140 million people will move into lagos eventually to look for the greener pastures or should i say better life , we all know the consequences, it is this same problem that is taking our brothers out of the country to europe and America, and believe you me, if not for visas, those places would surely be congested with Nigerians or Africans in general (who no like better?). so what we have to do is make sure our leaders (Federal , State and local govts and the private sector) provide those infrastructure that are taking people to lagos in the different states. lagos will still be the commercial (or show biz) capital of Nigeria. take america for example, different cities are known for diferent things, New york-Commerce, Michigan -Automobile,Texas -oil and gas, nevada-Gambling, Florida- fun at the beaches etc, the list is inehaustible, You don't have to live in Washington to survive in the US, visiting washington maybe for tourism reasons(a money spinner on its own), the same with other cities, i think we should wake up and put this country right, and Lagos, Jos, Owerri, Kano, Port harcourt, Uyo, ibadan, ,Enugu,calabar, Warri, maidugri etc will be places where jobs can be created. This will relieve lagos of this congestion for ever because people will have choices!!!

Secondly,I thought the introduction of Information Technology (IT) will help us in this country, but it seems people are not maximising it's use. most of the offices we have in lagos dont have any bussiness being in lagos, e.g. take the oil and gas companies, not even a single oil well is situated in lagos so they don't NEED to be here, but all the multinationals have their headquarters in lagos (even before the advent of the millitants in the Niger delta), they all come with the servicing companies, what they should have are just liason offices, with few staffs, i think that could have helped us, the same goes for other sectors of the ecomomy, ibadan should be the cocoa processing capital of nigeria, etc. i won't be suprised if we start seeing "Alimajiri's" on the streets of lagos tommorow_{Did i hear somebody say they are already arriving?}. i really thank God for giving General Muritala Mohammed the wisdom to move the political capital of Nigeria to Abuja, lagos would have been a big mess!! What we have today would have been just a child's play.

Great TOPIC

the core points I have gathered are

- Decongest Apapa port by moving business to WARRI and PORT-HARCOURT ports- asap the relevant state govts and FG need to intervene immediately
- Work on a railway and ferry transportation to reduce transportation via road- safe parking lots so that residents can pick up their cars after work
- Finally passenger rail service at least for lagos - ibadan expressway

i agree with other comments that governors of the states whose indegenes are in the majority should hav some sort of responsibility i.e social and also making their respective states conducive enough for their citizens so they dont feel the need to flock to laos,having said that we all know lagos is a cosmopolitan melting pot aside from being the commercial hub of naija so i dont see any solution to dissuading people from flocking there,so the only solution is to invest in other forms of transportation,

lagos is a coastal city and the obvious which sucessive governors have overlooked is water transportation, lagos has more water than land and providing enough water transportation with trains/coaches to support will more than adequately counter the transporttion/congestion problem, they should have more of the brt and strictly regulate the danfos/molues kabukabus so that they will be better run,and in the end perform better aiding congestion,
investing in low cost housing estates on the outskirts of lagos and buiding factories/markets e.t.c will not only aid congestion but develop these places and direct congestion away from the mainland/island, yorubas and ibos are the main business/merchants in lagos and once they have an enabling environment in form of proper lock up shops,good transportation for them and their customers before you know it they will develop anywhere you relocate them to

Solutions:
1.) provide the opportunities in Lagos in other cities and then people will go there, thus efflux.
2.) Railway, cheaper and reduces traffic.
3.) Get over it .
4.) Get rid of alot of bad politicians and scare the others in good behavior.

Solution 4 might not be as quick as the other. But a ripple effect into getting solution 2 is 4. Get rid some and then others will realize that demands are real. Look at the French revolution, that sure scared them aristocrats didn't it.

why must people complain when some real development are underway?

The best way to decongest Lagos is for the government to partner with the private sector in creating a modern rail transport system which will enable people to leave as far as kwara state and make it to work in Lagos everyday.If this is done, most people will move out of Lagos to places with cheaper cost of living and still retain their jobs in lagos, it will greatly reduce the population of lagos residents and will also spread development to other states outside of lagos.

The most effect method of decongesting any municipality, is health propaganda. Spread rumors about a sudden outbreak of an untreatable incurable flesh eating bataria that is water borne, and can be easily transmitted by sweat (trough bodily contact). Then show images of people with some sort of deformity (which can be found every where in Nigeria especially Lagos) Then have the health minister in association with the necessary local authorities, give a speech about the eminent urgency to evacuate Lagos so the bacteria can be contained and the state decontaminated. Also bribe all the juju men to say that this is a curse from the gods and no amulet can be made to fend of the menacing bacteria.
There u have it. I guarantee Lagos will half the population in less than two years, and so will neighbouring towns.

I suggest u shd by a helicopter 

Bomb? Propaganda? WTF is wrong with you people? No wonder Nigeria is so fvcked!

let the lagos sate government start issuing visa to non indegenes and non westerners. its all the parasitic northerners and some easterners that are causing the populatin. it puts a lot of weight in the infrastructure in lagos sate

One word.

METRO

What else do you expect in an overpopulated society?

The problems in Lagos are so deep in scope and of such massive proportions that there is no way a state government (at least, in its current form) can tackle it successfully alone. Not only does the State government lack the resources (at least, that one is solvable), but more importantly, Lagos State government does not have the constitutional and legal power to help pull itself out of this mess. This is a by virtue of a poorly concieved and laid out National Constitution. For instance, the governor of Lagos cannot do anything about security because the Police force is not under his control. Another example is the fact that the state does not have control over so many infrastructural decisions such as Ports and Airports. Make no mistake, I am not absolving previous and present governors of blame, I am simply pointing out the limitations and constitutional flaws that have terribly affected Lagos.

Lagos has extra-ordinary problems and therefore, it demands and requires several extra-ordinary responses to mitigate the problems and issues.  If I were the president, I would declare Lagos State and P/Harcourt as areas of iminent threat to national security. I will thereby federalise these territories and put them under federal control for a projected period of 7-10 years before being returned to state rule. There is a strategic reason why this needs to be so – Despite what many may think, the federal government and the Nation has too much at stake, national interests has been vested in lagos over years and we now risk allowing it to collapse. Lagos is the heartbeat of Nigeria and there is a saying that says;  “As goes Lagos, so goes the rest of the Nation”. Whatever is established in Lagos (for better of for worse) most often serves as a blueprint for other states to emulate or use. Whatever failures Lagos is experiencing is a multiple magnification of prevailing and impendiing failures in other parts of the Nation, given the right circumstance. Plucking up the courage and taking the bull by the horn in resolving the hydra-headed issues of Lagos would automatically pave the way for fast track developments in other parts of the nation. Aside from these, Lagos houses nearly 10% of the national population and a higher percentage of the national GDP. Finally, Lagos is the gateway of the nation, it is the first point of interaction and first impression and it carries the highest responsibility of national image across the world (for better or for worse)!.

The things that I believe need to be done immediately have been enumerated on another thread, so I will refrain from repeating myself here. You may check it out:

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-190268.0.html

Well, its very shimple (pardon my ara-oke accent). Give us ara-oke enough businesses to work in and we'll gladly stop dreaming of those good jobs and heavy payouts in lagos. but rest asssured that as long as there's a pay differential between Lagos and Ibadan,Ife,Ilesa, this mobile generation will go where the money is. Thats why at my convocation 90% of the people in my class did not feel really bad cos we knew we would all run into each other somewhere in Lagos. capisce.

The other alternative is for we ara-okes to start businesses that would be so competitive as to turn the exodus in the other direction so to say (thats a big task, we are still trying to stop doctors from running to saudi arabia or US or UK, telling the 2007/2008 set not to rush to lagos to runz KPMG or Accenture or any other high-paying firm is a definite no-no. they wont even acknowledge you.)