Watch How Lagos Residents Scramble To Board Commercial Vehicles In 1971 (Throwback VIDEO)

Bus stops In Lagos state are synonymous to battlefields. This is because commuters battle themselves for an opportunity to board any available commercial vehicles. Board Commercial Vehicles

Crowded bus stops and the ferocious contest for spaces in commercial vehicles are some of the fallout of a fast‐growing city.

However, the struggle to board public transportation in Lagos did not start today.

The video footage below shows how residents of Nigeria’s commercial capital have been falling over each other in order to board buses at different bus stops.

The scenario leaves one tempted to ask; what has changed after almost 50 years?

Lagos State is regarded as the economic and commercial capital of Nigeria. It has an estimated 23 million population.

The state government aims at transforming the city-state into Africa’s model megacity and global economic centre.

In an effort to achieve that, the state government, in 2007, adopted 10 point development agenda. This is as a strategic guide for transforming the city-state.

The ten-point agenda includes roads, transportation, power and water supply, environment and physical planning, etc.

The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) has the overall role of coordinating the transport policies, programmes. They also regulate the actions of all transport‐related agencies and of implementing and managing public transport services in Lagos State.

The poor condition of the road network and of the public transport system affects severely the development of the city and the working and living conditions of the population, particularly the most vulnerable.

The rapid growth of the private vehicle fleet, combined with reliance on commercial vehicles and motorcycles including Danfo, Shared Taxis, Okada, Keke Marwa and boat has resulted in extreme traffic congestion throughout the city, and poor‐quality public transport outlook.