The Lagos State Government’s announcement of an eight-month rehabilitation project along the ever-busy Lekki-Ajah corridor has generated mixed reactions among residents, businesses, and daily commuters. While few would question the need for improved infrastructure on this critical stretch, many are rightly concerned that the timing of the project, from November 15, 2025, to July 15, 2026, is ill-considered, disruptive, and poorly aligned with the realities of Lagos’ traffic dynamics and seasonal pressures.
The Lekki-Ajah axis is not just another road. It is the beating artery of one of the fastest-growing corridors in Africa. Thousands of workers, traders, schoolchildren, service providers, logistics operators, and commercial transporters funnel through this route daily. Any intervention on this corridor must therefore be carefully timed, strategically sequenced, and backed by robust mitigation plans.
Unfortunately, this latest announcement suggests the opposite.
The project begins in mid-November, right at the cusp of the festive season. Christmas and New Year represent peak human and vehicular movement in Lagos. Families travel, markets swell, social events multiply, and logistical demands skyrocket. Initiating such an expansive road project at this time guarantees gridlock of monumental proportions.
This is followed by the first quarter of the year, when schools resume, businesses ramp up operations, and corporate activities peak. Anyone familiar with the Lekki – Ajah corridor knows that traffic during this period is already overwhelming without additional lane closures.
Then comes the rainy season, which will blanket much of the April-July period. Lagos roads historically deteriorate faster under prolonged rainfall, slowing down construction, causing delays, and amplifying commuter frustration. Flooding in Lekki and Ajah is not a hypothetical risk; it is an annual certainty. Attempting major rehabilitation work during this window is a recipe for extended deadlines and additional suffering.
Lekki-Ajah is home to small businesses, megastores, tech hubs, estates, malls, the Free Trade Zone, Dangote Refinery traffic spillover, thousands of ride-hailing operators, and millions of daily commercial transactions. The corridor is also a lifeline for those commuting to Victoria Island, Ikoyi, and beyond.
An eight-month project during the busiest months of the year risks slowing economic activity, reducing productivity, and increasing operational costs for businesses. Delivery times will spike. Fuel consumption will double for many motorists. Workers will lose precious hours to gridlock. Small and medium enterprises along the route, hair salons, restaurants, shops, kiosks, and mechanics will feel the brunt of reduced foot traffic.
For a state positioning itself as a smart megacity, such oversight is costly.
This is not the first instance. Only recently, the state announced a 15-day closure of the Marine Bridge in Ijora, Apapa, for essential maintenance, another critical location undergoing restrictions at a time of high economic activity. The pattern suggests a reactive rather than proactive approach to infrastructure planning.
Residents are not asking the government to stop building roads. They are asking for measurable improvements in planning, scheduling, and impact management.
Okay, so what can the government do differently? Several alternatives could have minimised disruption:
- Staggering the project in shorter, more manageable phases across a longer timeline.
- Scheduling major work during low-traffic periods, such as between late January and early April.
- Deploying night-time construction, which many global cities adopt to reduce daytime congestion.
- Providing dedicated alternative routes with temporary improvements to support increased traffic load.
- Using an accelerated construction model, even if slightly more expensive, to reduce the timeline from eight months.
None of these appear prominently in the announcement.
Lagos undeniably needs improved infrastructure, and the Lekki-Ajah corridor is overdue for rehabilitation. However, the timing of this eight-month project is misaligned with resident realities, seasonal rhythms, and economic cycles.
The truth is that infrastructure should improve life, not complicate it.
The government must urgently revisit the project schedule, consult more broadly with stakeholders, and adopt a smarter approach that balances development with the welfare of the millions who call the Lekki-Ajah axis home.
