We keep making headlines. Even CNN has noticed.

Employees in Lagos are stressed, burned out and exhausted because of 'hellish traffic'

Lagos, Nigeria (CNN) —

Lagos traffic is so snarled and gridlocked that a recent trip from the airport to Ajah, on Lagos Island -- a journey shorter than 50 kilometers -- took me eight hours. That was two hours longer than my flight from Istanbul to Nigeria.

Welcome to traffic and travel Lagos-style, where the roads are clogged and millions of commuters are choked with frustration about the daily hassle in Nigeria's commercial capital and Africa's fifth largest economy.

Disgruntled commuter Yinka Ogunnubi is a typical example, recently tweeting: "Left my house by 5:30 a.m., got to work at 9:10 a.m. This is no longer work, it is suffer-head. Dear Boss, Can I work from home?"

Although many in Nigeria find the city alluring, especially for economic reasons, living in Lagos, the third most stressful city in the world, can take a mental toll.

The city is unhealthily crowded. Despite being the smallest state in the country, it has the highest urban population with an estimated population of 22 million people and counting, more than double New York or London's tally.

More than eight million people, moving in five million vehicles cram into a tiny network of just 9,100 roads every day. This is the reason why Lagosians spend an average of 30 hours in traffic each week -- or 1,560 annually -- while drivers in Los Angeles and Moscow traffic spent only 128 and 210 hours respectively in the whole of 2018.

Lagos is projected to become the world's biggest city by 2100, with a population of 88.3 million. It urgently needs better road facilities and a high-capacity transit system.

Mental health and productivity disasters

Traffic congestion, with its noise and environmental pollution, takes a huge toll on workers' mental and physical health.

Health professionals have even linked its overall damage to the increasing rate of suicide in the city.
According to consultant psychiatrist Olufemi Oluwatayo, it's not a surprise that Lagos commuters are negatively impacted by the traffic conditions.

"It is not really hard to see why employees might feel stressed, burned out or exhausted, especially in a city like Lagos," Oluwatayo says.

"They leave home at 4 a.m., enduring hellish traffic and then [have] to deal with work pressure and the prevalent job insecurity, not to add individual family problems and responsibilities. It is no surprise that, in general, many more people seems to be suffering from anxiety and depression."

The situation is also killing workforce productivity.

"How productive can you be when you stay in traffic for over six hours on a daily basis, conjoined with the things you go through to have a normal life in this city?" media exec Agnes Marquis said in a report by local media publication Pulse, titled "Here's why you should think twice before taking a job in Lagos."

'Beyond the cubicle'

While working conditions across the globe are fast evolving, some Nigerian companies are reluctant to enable their employees to work from home.

However workers with the option to decide when, where and how they work perform better, according to a report in the Harvard Business Review.

Traffic jam stifles both state and national economies. The Lagos business community alone loses $30.5 million monthly. While the gridlock at Nigeria's largest seaport, Apapa, costs the country $19 billion annually -- a loss higher than the country's 2016 budget.

The state's new governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has promised to tackle the traffic issues and also decongest the Apapa port area, but some say his changes need to go deeper as the city creaks under the weight of its vast population.

"As much as the removal of trucks will decongest some roads, it's no one-size-fits-all. There is a clear need to moderate the flow of people as the population soars higher. Remote work offers that opportunity," Ogunnubi says.

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/traffic-stress-lagos-nigeria/index.html

You get to work in the morning and lay your head on your desk for at least 5 minutes. You're not praying; you're exhausted.

It's killing. Lagos is killing.

Ishilove:
You get to work in the morning and lay your head on your desk for at least 5 minutes. You're not praying; you're exhausted.

It's killing. Lagos is killing.

Die na

Lagos traffic will make u feel like you are hardworking... you get home everyday exhausted

pocohantas:


Die na

Lol... Its a very cold world.

pocohantas:


Die na

Gerrawayu

pocohantas:

Die na

This is harsh.
The horror picture did not help matters either.

Ishilove:

Gerrawayu

Lmao. I hope that picture isn't real o.

On a serious note, a colleague once said;

The distance between point A and B (in Lagos) is traffic.

1st pix is idumota, eyin Eyo side, Imagine traffic on a 3lane bridge

Anybody who is smart would either buy a power bike or just enter public transport in Lagos else you will be frustrated and angry on the wheels all the time. Evenings are extremely worse police army pass One way, bus park on the road, market women share the remaining road, pedestrians also take their cut, cars are left with little or nothing

Lagos Traffic

Lagos traffic will reduce your life span to 10yrs..

i hate lagos….

Stupid state, Stupid people.
Everyone wants to come to Lagos, why not develop other states and find ways to boost the economy there. That way the influx of people will reduce but no, they want to have it all because of the money generated by the population. Despite the money, it's still a shithole and many idiots are still coming in while I'm looking for way to escape
If you are not strong mentally you will loose yourself one day in Lagos

Never ever seen an obituary of a 90 year old in Lagos..How can you live long when stress go wan kill you and don already comot like 30years from your years..But if we talk them go dey say ya ya ya ya ya..

Awon tinubu slaves gbogbo..

Eko for sure

The way God will deal with APC government in Lagos...especially Ambode

Lagos is a disgrace of a city. Once i wake up each day and realise i have to drive about 1.30 mins to work. I dey weak. Distance of 15mins without traffic

Naija na Naija problem. Na dem go cause traffic jam de complain six, eight hour for traffic. Na dem go troway dirty de complain mosquito and cholera de kill dem. We no de sow better but expect to reap better! Abi na martians or malians de cause traffic for Lagos? If we sow better we go de suffer like so?

Please don't bother telling me "government". You'd simply be saying malians or martians, and that you yourself are useless. No be government de disobey traffic rules and drive on the other side of the road, and if you learnt to rule yourself, more shall be given unto you to rule.

If Sanwoolu wants to leave a proper legacy, open waterways for affordable boat public transport ALL OVER Lagos. Waking up at 4-5AM for job that starts 8AM is a ticking time bomb. A city of 24 million, all lives governed by traffic. Terrible stuff.

Spiritual traffic

Lagos workers deserves double salary

Moving to my business place in Lagos everyday is like traveling from Lagos to ore Everyday

Harlem2:
Spiritual traffic

Not flesh and blood, but principalities and powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in all places!

bretceve:
you could get yourself fixed on a traffic like that

Hawking gala in the traffic will be more honourable for you.

This old scam way will only lead you to hell.

Eko Oni baje

good

i was about to write a post about the inccessant treatment the OKADA riders we are relying on from Iyana ipaja to Oshodi are facing from the hands of this killer Task Force police. over 150 bikers was clampled down in my face yesteday... yet you want us to sleep inside a snail polluted traffic. Lagos Governor sir please do something.
The people that voted you sir .dont need your money but..Good Road,Water and Steady Light.. focus on this sir .this is what we need as citizens. Eko Oni Baje OOO.