Lagos Traffic Not a Problem — It’s a Lifestyle, says Obafemi Hamzat

Obafemi Hamzat, deputy governor of Lagos, says the perennial traffic challenge in the city is not a problem but a lifestyle. 

Speaking on Saturday at Podfest Naija, a gathering of storytellers and creatives, Hamzat reflected on how the city’s traffic, crowds and chaos have shaped its identity and inspired creative works.

He said traffic has also become an unlikely patron of the podcast industry, as Lagosians consume episodes while commuting across the city.

“Anyone who has crossed Third Mainland Bridge at 6pm knows that Lagos traffic is not the problem, it is just a lifestyle,” Hamzat said.

“In fact, I suspect that many of us in this room, we produce things that are consumed, episode by episode, between Ojota and Obalende.

“So in a way, traffic has been a patron of your industry. So you must celebrate traffic. That’s why we are Lagos.”

Hamzat said the city’s seemingly chaotic disposition has inspired great artists, writers and filmmakers.

He added that while the story of Lagos was previously told largely by other people, the city is now telling its own story through its creative community.

“Lagos is now telling its own story and the people telling it in a very serious way are in this room,” he said.

“The podcasters, the filmmakers, the musician, writer, designers, developers and entrepreneurs who have turned Lagos microphone into a global broadcast.”

‘CREATIVES MUST BUILD A BUSINESS MODEL, OWN THEIR CRAFT’

Hamzat also urged creatives to develop sustainable business models, saying audience size alone is not enough to make a podcast commercially viable.

He said the state is also supporting the creative and innovation ecosystem by funding ideas and research.

“So we’re funding ideas, not just applauding them. Lagos is supporting nothing less than 90 research and development projects,” he said.

“Gone are the years of great ideas and no funding.

“A podcast with a million listeners and no business model is just a hobby with good microphone.”

Hamzat further said creativity thrives only where people feel safe, describing safety and liberty as important to the creative process.

The deputy governor, who is the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate for Lagos in the 2027 general election, said the city is currently the safest state in Nigeria, adding that the achievement came at a “ridiculous cost”.

“Creativity flourishes best when people feel safe,” he said.

“For us in Lagos, safety and liberty guarantees remain a matter of right.

“Lagos is today the safest state in our country and it comes at ridiculous cost because if we’re not safe then we can’t even tell stories,” he said.

He also urged Nigerians to reconnect with their culture, saying cultural identity is important to the country’s prosperity.

“One of the challenges for us as Africans, as black people, is that we have forgotten our culture,” he said.

“The truth is, we will not prosper — it’s not a curse — if we don’t deal with our culture.”