Former Lagos State governorship candidate of the Labour Party and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has criticised the handling of traffic during an APC event in Lagos, accusing the ruling party of incompetence after commuters were reportedly trapped in heavy gridlock on Lagos Island.
Rhodes-Vivour made the remarks in a social media post reacting to the traffic situation allegedly caused by an APC summit held at the Tafawa Balewa Square area of Lagos.
“Does the APC in Lagos have any sense of decency or competence?” he asked.
According to him, residents and commuters on the Island were subjected to unnecessary hardship because of poor planning by authorities responsible for traffic management.
“Why should everyone on the Island be trapped in traffic simply because of your summit at TBS? This is utterly ridiculous. Madness, even,” he stated.
The ADC chieftain questioned the role of officials and agencies under the Lagos State Government, including the Commissioner for Transport, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority and the Rapid Response Squad.
“First, you have a Commissioner for Transport, you control LASTMA, and you have the RRS under your influence, yet you still cannot manage simple traffic flow around your own event?” he queried.
Rhodes-Vivour also suggested that organisers should have made arrangements with parking facilities between Marina and Bonny Camp to prevent buses conveying party members from obstructing traffic.
“Secondly, between Marina and Bonny Camp, there are several parking facilities — both public and private. Doesn’t common sense suggest that arrangements should have been made with these parking lots so buses conveying your members could park properly while traffic continues to flow?” he said.
He concluded by condemning what he described as a lack of basic competence in handling the situation.
“Is basic competence too much to ask for? Shame on all of you,” he added.
His comments have since generated reactions online, with some Lagos residents sharing frustrations over traffic congestion on the Island, while others defended the state government’s management of the situation.
