Lagosians should only vote for a presidential candidate who promises to built a Lagos Underground Network within his first four years in office

Ayo Akinfe

[1] Unlike anywhere else in Nigeria, Lagos requires federal infrastructure as it accounts for one quarter of Nigeria’s gross domestic product (GDP), one third of non-oil GDP, attracts about 70% of foreign direct investment (FDI) and half of all Nigeria’s cars ply Lagos roads

[2] With a population of about 15m, Lagos is the largest city in the world without an urban metro. We do not seem to appreciate the fact that we are sitting on an environmental time-bomb as the status quo is unsustainable

[3] If you look at the demographics of Nigeria, about half of the country’s population is crammed into urban centres. This means that cities like Lagos, Ibadan, Kano, Abuja, Benin, Enugu, Kaduna, Jos, Port Harcourt, Maiduguri, etc bear a huge burden. Lagos shoulders this responsibility more than any other city in Nigeria

[4] When one looks at how it takes six hours to get from one end of Lagos to the other, we should be very frightened. If a man lives in Ketu and works in Victoria Island, he will spend at least 10 hours on the road every day

[5] We all cringe at the Apapa gridlock. Why the port area is not a car-free zone is totally beyond me. What we need is rail link to the port, with all cars parked at least 3km away

[6] In 2009, the Lagos State government began work on the Lagos Metroline, a 35km urban railway project designed to ease traffic congestion in the state. Had that project been completed by now, maybe, just maybe, life would be a lot easier

[7] Worldwide, the maximum amount of time it takes to complete a 35km urban light railway project is four years. In London, Margaret Thatcher completed the Docklands Light Railway in two years, so by the time Babatunde Fashola left office as Lagos State governor in 2015, the Lagos Metroline project he initiated in 2009, should have long been completed

[8] In 1983, the then Major General Muhammadu Buhari scrapped an ongoing rail project initiated by Governor Lateef Jakande. The only reason we have not paid for this blunder in terms of smog and other health hazards is because there is no heavy industry in Lagos

[9] When I look at some of China’s cities and see how smog and poor air quality has lead to serious health and respiratory problems, I dread to think of what would have happened to Lagos if we had say the same number of factories as Shanghai, Xi’an, Chongqing, Wuhan or Guangzhou

[10] Of the 12m cars in Nigeria, 6m are in Lagos and they are all using fossil fuels, destroying the environment. When this keg of gunpowder explodes in our faces, we will witness an ecological disaster of biblical proportions. Anyone who wants to be the president of Nigeria must pledge to provide a Lagos Underground Network by 2027, which will carry 5m passengers a day like its London equivalent,.