Lagos State Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, has described the state’s perennial traffic congestion as a “lifestyle” that has become part of the identity of the megacity.
Hamzat spoke on Saturday at Podfest Naija, a gathering of storytellers and creatives, where he discussed how Lagos’ traffic, crowds and chaotic character had influenced the city’s creative industry.
According to him, the hours Lagosians spend in traffic have inadvertently created an audience for podcasters and other digital content creators.
“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 Lagos’ unique character had inspired generations of artists, writers, filmmakers and other creatives.
He noted that the narrative about Lagos, which was previously shaped largely by outsiders, was increasingly being told by the city’s own 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 need sustainable business models
The deputy governor urged creatives to develop sustainable business models, warning that a large audience alone did not guarantee commercial success.
He said the state was supporting the creative and innovation ecosystem by funding ideas and research projects.
“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 also stressed the importance of safety and liberty to the creative process, saying people needed to feel secure before they could freely create and tell stories.
“Creativity flourishes best when people feel safe,” he said.
“For us in Lagos, safety and liberty guarantees remain a matter of right.”
Hamzat, who is the All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship candidate in Lagos State for the 2027 general election, said Lagos was currently the safest state in the country, adding that maintaining the situation came at a “ridiculous cost”.
“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.
The deputy governor also urged Nigerians to reconnect with their culture, arguing that cultural identity remained important to the country’s development.
“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.”
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