We Lack Visionary Government—Rhodes Vivour Fires At Lagos Leadership Over Flooding, Infrastructure

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has criticised the state’s leadership over what he described as a lack of visionary governance, calling for urgent reforms in infrastructure development and flood management.

Rhodes-Vivour, popularly known as GRV, made the remarks during the Lagos governorship debate held on Sunday, organised by the Nigeria Debate Consortium, comprising Channels Television, TVC News, The PUNCH, TheCable and Vanguard.

Speaking on how to address recurring flooding in the state, GRV argued that Lagos must look beyond conventional approaches and adopt infrastructure models from other coastal cities, particularly Japan and Venice.

“We lack visionary government.They should be looking at what Japan is doing, Venice is doing, they are coastal cities too. Venice is standing on trees, but allows for water to flow,” he said.

He also faulted the quality of road construction across Lagos, questioning whether existing infrastructure projects meet the required standards and have adequate maintenance arrangements.

“What are the standards of road we are building in this city? Roads are not built to standard. We need to set proper standards and technicalities, and tie in maintenance to the construction of those roads,” he said.

The ADC candidate further advocated climate scenario planning and improved communication between the government and residents to prepare the state for future environmental challenges.

On traffic congestion, Rhodes-Vivour described the situation as unacceptable, insisting that commuting should not become a daily struggle for residents.

“Traffic is not a lifestyle, we must not have to work to get to work. We need to connect the entirety of Lagos. It is a bankable project that will pay itself over the years,” he said.

He proposed an integrated transportation system that would connect different parts of Lagos, alongside expanded water transportation and dedicated bicycle lanes.

“We need to normalise water transportation, have ferry terminals that are not just audio, have enough water transportation. We need to normalise bicycle lanes,” he added.

According to him, functional ferry terminals, increased water transport services and cycling infrastructure would provide commuters with alternatives to road transportation and help ease congestion across the state.