8 Hours in Traffic — Is This the Lagos Government’s Idea of a Joke?

Lagos, Nigeria — For many Lagosians, traffic is a daily struggle. But on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, the city experienced a traffic nightmare unlike anything in recent memory — a complete breakdown of movement across key parts of the metropolis triggered by the sudden closure of the Independence Bridge for emergency repairs.

What should have been an ordinary weekday commute turned into a harrowing experience for thousands of residents who spent hours, and in some cases, the entire night, trapped in gridlock on the island and its environs.

Lagos at a Standstill

The federal government announced the closure of the Independence Bridge, also known as Mekwen Bridge, located on Victoria Island, for urgent rehabilitation.

However, the timing — during a busy working day without adequate public sensitization or alternative traffic management — quickly escalated into what many commuters are calling the worst traffic crisis in Lagos history.

One user on X (formerly Twitter) captured the frustration, writing:

“This has to be the worst traffic in the history of Lagos Nigeria… Been at this since 5:00PM all the way from Maruwa Lekki, it’s 11:26PM and I’m presently at Civic Center.”

Another stranded commuter tweeted at 1:00AM:
“People left their office since 5PM and are still stuck in traffic past 1AM in Ikoyi. This Lagos traffic has to be one of the craziest I’ve seen in years. Wasn’t this bad when they closed Third Mainland Bridge.”

For some, the gridlock had real consequences beyond fatigue. A passenger shared how a routine trip to the airport almost cost him a flight:
“Spent 3 hours from Lekki to the Airport. Two of those hours were spent between Freedom Way and Lekki-Ikoyi. It will be evil for the government not to respond and restrategise. What happened today is unsustainable in a 2025 mega-city.”

What People are Saying

When Business Elites Africa spoke to Ifeanyi Okafor, a marketing executive who works on Victoria Island, he recounted how he abandoned his car at midnight near Falomo Bridge after spending over six hours in traffic.
“I left the office at 5:30PM thinking I would get home to Ajah by 7PM latest. By midnight, I was still at Falomo. I had to leave my car and walk back to the office to sleep. It was the most exhausting night of my life,” he said.

For many, the experience wasn’t just frustrating — it was frightening. Reports circulated of people running out of fuel, commuters fainting from exhaustion, and rising cases of car battery theft amid the chaos.

Government Manages to Respond

Following widespread public outrage and distress, the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, ordered the immediate reopening of the Independence Bridge on Wednesday night.

The Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Mrs. Olukorede Kesha, confirmed the directive, saying emergency remedial work was underway to allow vehicular traffic to resume.

“Yes, the minister has directed me to open it,” Kesha told Punch Newspaper. “We are trying to do some temporary repairs so that we can open the bridge, but some parts have already been damaged. We are working overnight and hope to ease movement as soon as possible.”

However, she could not guarantee that the bridge would reopen immediately, noting the extent of damage and ongoing repair efforts.

Why did the Government Decide to Close the Bridge on a Workday

The Independence Bridge, part of the Marina-Mekwen-Azumini Bridge axis, is one of the busiest links in Lagos, connecting Victoria Island to Lagos Island and the Eko Bridge.

It is estimated that over 100,000 vehicles ply the route daily, according to data from the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation.

While officials argue that the repairs were necessary and long overdue, critics question the timing and lack of public preparedness. “What happened to doing this during the holiday or at night?” one X user asked.

For now, Lagosians are left to grapple with the aftermath — long hours wasted, lost income, and the mental and physical toll of surviving another day in one of the world’s most congested cities.

This latest traffic meltdown has reignited conversations around poor urban planning, lack of timely communication, and the government’s approach to infrastructure management in Nigeria’s commercial capital.

“This city stresses me daily,” another commuter posted. “What happened yesterday is proof that Lagos is still not thinking like the mega-city it claims to be.”

As repairs continue, residents hope that the government has learned a hard lesson — one paid for by thousands who sat for hours in their cars, inching forward, praying for movement in a city that never seems to pause.