Ambode Lacks Solution to Lagos Gridlock, Robberies – The Economist

London-based weekly magazine, The Economist, says the administration of Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, lacks the solution to the traffic congestion and robberies plaguing the state.The 172-year old magazine says rather than build on the successes of his predecessor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), Ambode has continued to fail at his job. It adds that the only thing Ambode has been able to do is to make excuses for his shortcomings.The Economist says in its latest issue that Fashola succeeded by enforcing stringent traffic laws and empowering the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority. It notes that Ambode’s undoing is relaxing the enforcement of traffic laws which has encouraged a culture of impunity in Nigeria’s most populous city.It says the gridlock was already affecting productivity and the way of life of Lagosians because workers now get to work late.It further explains that armed robbers have taken advantage of the usual traffic gridlock thereby worsening the plight of Lagosians.The report reads, “Lagos is a hub for investors in Africa ”“ it is a bigger economy in its own right than most countries on the continent, so this is of serious concern. The state’s former governor, Babatunde Fashola, who left office after elections in March, was lauded for improving traffic and security.“He curbed dangerous motorbikes and taxis and brought local ”˜area boys’ (touts), under control. Cars were terrified into order by a state traffic agency, LASTMA, whose bribe-hungry officers flagged down offending drivers.“His successor, Akinwunmi Ambode, is full of excuses, but few solutions, for the worsening gridlock. Traffic is always bad during the rains, he says. Nigerians are migrating to Lagos en masse in search of work in a worsening economy, his office adds. Yet the root of the problem is in policy: Mr. Ambode cut the powers of traffic controllers by banning them from impounding. In retaliation, officers have refused to enforce the rules.”The magazine says the traffic congestion in the state is the symptom of the frosty relationship between the Ambode administration and enforcement agencies in the state.The report adds that the traffic situation may get worse if urgent steps are not taken.The report states, “Reform in a culture riddled with corruption is never easy. Mr. Ambode’s office says the measure was intended to create a more “civil society”. Less fastidious types think it amounts to weakness, and would prefer that he focused on public transport instead.

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