Oriki For Lagos

Tunde Rahman, is President Bola Tinubu’s Senior Special Assistant, (Media). He is a journalist and Editor. And once served as media adviser to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu between 2016 and 2023 before his Presidential elevation. He is therefore a colleague. A friend. And a brother whose table manners cum etiquette, I admire to the heavens.

Before dining with the high and mighty, Tunde once did a lovely piece in ThisDay, celebrating my return in 2012 to the media office of the Federal Road Safety Corps as two-times spokesperson. In that piece, he described me as a Bariga boy. Tunde was very apt in his description. I am not just a Bariga boy but an Ilaje Bariga boy.

So, if you call me a Lagos boy, you will be crystal clear in that description. I wasn’t born in Lagos but I grew up there. I schooled at the National College Bariga, and then CMS Grammar School, the oldest and the best. I then proceeded to the University of Lagos for both my first and second Degrees before finally, my journalism training was still in Lagos before I was captured by defunct Concord Press, Limited. At Concord Press, I honed my skills, thanks to Tunji Bello, my former editor and now Executive Vice Chairman of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission. Sam Omatseye, chairman, Editorial Board, The Nations Newspaper among others

My profile therefore speaks volumes as an Ilaje, Bariga, Lagos boy. For the record, this piece is not a salutation to Rahman, nor a celebration of my disjointed no-breed Lagos heritage. It is actually a celebration of the feats achieved by the Lagos State government in the area of transportation/traffic re-engineering, highlighting the real value of purposeful governance.

For starters, Lagos is a sleepless city. A leader in thought and action. Lagos harnesses innovation to tame traffic, save time, and restore order. And shaping the future of urban mobility. Today, I celebrate Lagos for its numerous feats; Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), and Smart Traffic Systems. Indeed, I honor the Lagos State government’s innovation in traffic management.

Before choosing this focus, I was stunned to read an unnamed post on social media advising motorists to know that CCTV on the 3rd mainland bridge has been activated; ‘’it is for revenue not for safety and security’’, the post said. Well, I know some will submit that Lagos State revenue has been kick-started to now reach figures around 100billion naira or more with 260billion now targeted monthly in 2026 to meet a   N3.119 trillion annual goal.

Before I enlighten people, who indulge in misinformation, like the one cited on why countries adopt smart traffic systems, let me first throw a poser at such people. What is the value of a Nigerian life? What is the value in terms of loss of the road traffic crash that killed two of former boxing champ, Anthony Joshua’s buddies? What is the value of the loss to Joshua’s career, as well as to their individual families? Only a sincere response will reveal the real value of the State’s innovation efforts.

So, why smart traffic systems? For the record, countries adopt smart traffic systems because they are one of the fastest, most cost-effective ways to make cities safer, smoother, and smarter as traffic volumes grow. In simple terms, smart traffic systems help the government move people better with less chaos and fewer road crashes.

Let us break these values into titbits starting with the reduction of traffic congestion. Smart signals adapt in real time to traffic volume instead of using fixed timings. This helps to cut long queues at intersections, reduce travel time, and improve productivity and quality of life.

I spent the better part of my life and career managing traffic, improving road safety, and promoting safe and responsible driving. Even though the Federal Road Safety Corps has laid a novel foundation and hit some high notes. Although our yearly deaths due to avoidable road crashes have improved from what it was in before 1988, do you know that if governments at all levels had adopted smart traffic systems from the beginning, the story would have been different from what we have today.

Smart traffic systems again, improve road safety. By using cameras, sensors, and analytics, smart systems detect speeding, red-light violations which are all daily infractions across the cities, and wrong-way driving. It also identifies crash hotspots early, thus improving response time to post crash response, and supports quicker emergency response.

Additionally, its adoption in traffic management leads to fewer crashes, injuries, and deaths. The presence of a smart system along the Lagos-Ibadan Road could have averted that celebrated December 29, 2025 Road traffic crash and ,or others, prevented them, or better still improved overall response, thereby saving the lives of the two people who died in addition to reducing the extent of injuries suffered by Anthony Joshua

A smart system for those who lack knowledge of how the government works but choose to misinform the public, supports data-driven decision-making in a country where data integrity is and has remained a challenge. Smart traffic systems therefore generate reliable data on the following; traffic flow, peak periods, and driver behavior. This data is crucial for planning roads, deploying traffic officers effectively, and justifying infrastructure investment.

One of the fallouts of the Anthony Joshua crash and other security and safety incidents, is low enforcement transparency. The good news is that smart traffic systems enhance law enforcement transparency which again is another sore point in our traffic enforcement parameters.

Through automated enforcement, there is a reduction in human discretion and abuse, allegations of bias or extortion; thus, strengthening public trust, which is another scarce commodity and generally aligning with the principles of good governance.

Let me also remind you that aside from all that has been listed, it improves citizens’ experience. This is because when traffic works, commuting becomes predictable, businesses are run efficiently, and overall, citizens feel government commitment and competence in their daily lives.

In this era of climate change and the need for safer environments, smart traffic systems reduce fuel consumption and emissions. This is because less stop- and -go-traffic translates to lower fuel use, reduced carbon emissions, as well as cleaner urban air.

Overall, smart traffic systems are adopted to achieve safer roads, efficient mobility, cleaner cities, transparent enforcement, and smarter governance. For those who are yet to cut the Lagos state government dome slack. Today, I give the Lagos State government its flowers for outstanding service and selfless commitment. Your labor and innovation have blossomed into safety and order, positive impact, and courage.

Therefore, I present to the State, the sunflower of leadership and the rose of excellence in traffic management. I therefore give Lagos flowers, not silence, not criticism, not bashing. To further embolden the State actors, I sought ChatGPT assistance for this ORIKI and ‘Now this flower is to Lagos, the city that never sleeps nor stands still-you have taught your roads to see, your signals to think, your traffic to speak in data and light. Where chaos once contended with patience, you planted intelligence, where horns cried in disorder, you answered with rhythm, cameras, and coded wisdom. You are the city that turned movement into meaning and time to order

To Lagos, bearer of foresight, you govern with laws and learning. Through smart systems and watchful eyes, you protect lives unseen and journeys uncounted. You gave your people not just roads, but direction; not just control, but care. For this vision that flows like the Lagos lagoon and shines like your signals at dawn, I give you your flowers-city of innovation, keeper of motion, guardian of tomorrow.