Nigeria’s commercial center, Lagos State, loses N4 trillion a year due to traffic congestion.
This was revealed on Wednesday in a recent research conducted by the Danne Institute for Research.
The Bank of Industry and Africa Finance Corporation financed the study, “Behavioural Causes of Traffic Congestion in Lagos,” which emphasized the urgency of taking quick action to lessen the negative social and economic effects on the locals.
Franca Ovadje, Executive Director of the Danne Institute for Research, states that the enormous loss might have gone toward funding essential industries like infrastructure development, healthcare, and education.
According to the survey, the main offenders are behavioral issues, such as bad road conditions, breaking traffic regulations, “agberos” operating at bus stops, and passenger-picking buses.
Ovadje underlined that the debilitating effects of traffic bottlenecks on everyday life mean that Lagos’ 21 million inhabitants do not translate into commensurate output.
According to the research, productivity growth in emerging nations should increase by 5 to 6 percent for every doubling of the population.
The survey also showed that Lagos residents commute for 2.21 hours a day on average, with 45% spending longer than that.
“Areas such as Ajah, Etiosa, and Apapa bear the brunt, necessitating strict enforcement of traffic laws, alternative route creation during construction, and nighttime road construction,” the study stated.
